


Born Again Sinners

by rexyplexy



Category: Shall We Date?: Obey Me!
Genre: Actual Blood Pacts, Dia/Barb if you squint, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, F/M, Family Drama, Feral Behavior, Fluff and Angst, Friends With Benefits, Gay Male Character, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Male MC, Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Past Child Abuse, Polyamory, Scenting, Self-Indulgent, Sibling Bonding, Slow Burn, There are two MCs in this, Trans Character, Very loosely follows season one of the game, genderfluid mc, long fic, slight Asmo/Solomon, slight Mammon/MC, slight Satan/MC, twin MCs
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-28
Updated: 2021-02-16
Packaged: 2021-03-10 03:34:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 62,178
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27737737
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rexyplexy/pseuds/rexyplexy
Summary: "Aren't you absolutely thrilled to meet the new human, Lucifer?" Diavolo asked him, bringing him out of his revere just as Barbatos finished up with the portal."Of course," Lucifer ushered as he set the file down and turned towards where the human would appear. Everything was in order, just as they should have been, the portal burst to life in a flash of bright flames and even his brothers shut up as they focused on it. The flame burned hotter and from it came a scream before finally evaporating and from it, not one, but two humans fell to the ground in a harsh heap.Wait.... TWO?!
Relationships: Beelzebub (Shall We Date?: Obey Me!)/Original Female Character(s), Belphegor (Shall We Date?: Obey Me!)/Original Female Character(s), Leviathan (Shall We Date?: Obey Me!)/Original Female Character(s), Lucifer (Shall We Date?: Obey Me!)/Original Male Character(s)
Comments: 14
Kudos: 60





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: Riley is my MC while Grimm belongs to my friend! She actually choses the name Grimm for all the games she plays and it's just a coincidence that it also happens to be the name of the Devildom's currency! Don't worry, I intend to work with it in a way that won't be confusing. Lol

That morning started the same as any other, the barest hint of light filtered through the window as the sun was moments away from rising. Despite being so early, the world outside their window was alight with noise of the usual hustle and bustle that came with living within New Orleans' Central Business District, or rather the lively city in general. Her green eyes fluttered open as the clock on their nightstand barely read 5:30, it was early but she preferred it that way as she yawned and stretched out her limbs. Her joints popped, the bed far from comfortable, but it was what she had and was enough.

With a gentle smile on her face she glanced over to the other side of their tiny room, there sat a second twin-sized bed like her's and probably as equally uncomfortable if not more so.

The familiar lump of her brother burrowed deep under his covers met her eyes as she stood up and walked over. Their Siamese-colored cat practically laid on top of his face and she couldn't help but wonder if he could breath. She chuckled.

"Hey, Riley want to go running with me?" She asked with a bright smile, only to be met with a muffled groan that sounded strangely similar to 'dear god no.' She rolled her eyes with fondness before stepping over Riley's pile of dirty clothes to get to her own that hung up in their closet. "Fine, suit yourself."

Grabbing old sweatpants and a t-shirt, she was about to head into the bathroom when she heard Riley's mumble again, hesitating, she glanced back at him with a hum.

"I said be careful, Grimm," he called out from under a mountain of blankets and also their cat. "Take a knife."

Grimm smiled, though it was strained by a nagging in the back of her head, "always am, so I don't think I'll be needing that."

With that she exited from their room and crossed the tiny living space into the bathroom, not much bothering with appearances as she tossed her clothes on. It was just a run, she could doll herself up later if they decided to go anywhere. She hoped they might go shopping together, it wasn't often their days off from work aligned like this, especially with how busy her brother tended to be.

If he decided to get out of bed, that is.

Grimm exited from the bathroom and walked to where her purse laid next to the front door, stooping down she gathered her cellphone and pepper-spray from it, because yea, she wasn't stupid. Especially with the.... odd feelings she’d been getting in recent weeks. She just didn't prefer her brother's more.... rash choices.

With that she deemed herself ready for her run and left their tiny apartment, being quiet as could be as she stepped out into the hall, not wanting to disturb her neighbors. For the most part they were all younger folk living their lives day to day there in NOLA like she and Riley were, though a few of the residents were elderly folk that found the building's cheaper rent too good to pass up. Either way, she didn't want to be a burden to any of them as she crept down the stairwell and into the lobby where the building's owner was currently scanning over paperwork at the front desk, where he usually was.

"I think you're getting earlier and earlier every day," he commented with a tired smile as she walked by.

"If the sun is up, then I'm up!" Grimm retorted with a chipper smile before it vanished as she approached the counter, "though are you sure you don't need me to do anything today, you seem swamped."

"I'll be fine," he waved her off, "you already do so much around here. I'm honestly starting to feel bad about it.... Almost. I still haven't forgotten about your brother passing out in the elevator."

Grimm cringed, "it was his first time drinking a Hand Grenade."

"I've never seen someone chug such a drink with reckless abandon before," the man shook his head, but he almost appeared amused by the memory. "I still haven't found out what happened to the elevator's buttons...."

"I don't think even Riley knows," Grimm mused before her somewhat-landlord, somewhat-boss, waved her off.

"Well, I don't want to keep you waiting so run along," he ushered, "that young couple in 2B is going on vacation tomorrow and will need someone to watch their Pomeranian for the weekend. Also Miss Lee is wanting help to look through her storage unit in the basement so you'll have plenty of work tomorrow."

With a smile Grimm waved goodbye and took her leave, a slight pep in her step. It wasn't technically a job much like the ones Riley worked, but she enjoyed helping out her fellow residents none-the-less, and if the building's owner knocked off a few bucks from their rent because of her help, well that wasn't so bad either.

Grimm exited the building out into the humid New Orleans climate, it wasn't the nicest to take a run in but she had long since gotten used to it. She took a moment to stretch out her limbs, glancing at each passersby, it may have been early but the city never slept. Most of the folks that walked by, either late night party-goers taking the walk of shame or a few earlier-risers on their way to work. As per the usual, a couple of them wished her a good-morning to which she returned the greeting.

Finishing up her stretches, Grimm finally got going. She often found herself on her runs by herself, Riley being far from a morning person, he was often the last to go to bed and the last to wake up. He always seemed to be busy with something though, so Grimm didn't mind, and found a certain tranquility in taking a slow jog around the block as the sun just began to rise.  
Despite how the slight discomfort from the heat steadily turned into a moderate discomfort. Still would be nice to have a companion though. Maybe she could leash-train Cleo, there certainly has been stranger sights in a city like this, but the cat had such short and stubby legs so Grimm didn't think they'd get far.

Grimm chuckled at the thought as she ran down the familiar path she took every morning, though today something felt.... off.

She couldn't exactly pinpoint it, but it was almost as though something called to her? Grimm came to a stop and shivered despite the heat, the feeling an unwelcome one as she glanced around. It almost felt like she was being watched, but there was no evidence of it being true. This, unfortunately, had been going on for the past couple of weeks or so, yet still she couldn't figure out why on Earth she felt this way. Perhaps it was all in her head and she had allowed her thoughts to get away from herself. It was almost embarrassing really, and so, not even Riley knew of the strange feeling, her brother would definitely go into overdrive thinking someone was after his sister. Not exactly a good thing with him.

Grimm shook her head and continued her way down a side street, not a apart of her usual routine, but one she was still familiar with. There was a cafe there, some french name she couldn't properly pronounce, that she could get something nice for Riley and herself as a treat. It wasn't often they did, but something about the nagging feeling in her head made it warranted.

Grimm stepped up to the door and stopped right in her tracks, she peered into the building through the window and frowned. It was crowded inside, business folk buying a quick coffee or muffin before work and tourists getting an early start. She shrank backwards, somehow appearing even smaller inside of her over sized shirt. Someone from inside curiously glanced her way and that was all it took for Grimm to continue on her jog, this time heading back in the direction of the apartments. Maybe it was just her anxiety acting up, brought forward by the nagging feeling in the back of her head. She wasn’t too sure. Perhaps it'd be better to just go to the cafe with Riley instead of bringing something back. She smiled, it'd be a nice change of pace.

Thus she got farther away from the cafe, and farther away from that off feeling she couldn't describe.

\----

Riley was just beginning to come to when he heard the front door open and close for the second time that day, letting him know Grimm was back from her run. Why his sister insisted on doing that everyday, especially on their days off from work, he'd never know. As long as it was something that made her happy, though, he was fine with it. Riley grumbled as he pulled Cleo off of him, the cat giving an indignant meow, to finally sit up with his wild white hair sticking up every which way.

He yawned as Cleo leaped off of the bed with a thump, shooting Riley an offended look before she waddled out the door to go greet Grimm.

"Oh good, you're already awake," Grimm said as she leaned through the doorway to check in on her brother, a small smile gracing her features. "Do you want to come with me to do errands?"

"I just want to lay here all day," Riley retorted with a snort that got Grimm to huff out playfully.

"Come on, we can even stop at the cafe," she went on, her voice hopeful and honestly Riley knew he had lost even before his sister activated her trap card. "I'll buy you a slice of lemon cake."

"Fine," Riley let out the biggest melodramatic sigh that had Grimm smile before she turned tail and left the room.

"I'm going to take a quick shower!"

"Alright!" Riley called after her before dragging himself to his feet, quickly scanning the clothes thrown around the floor before plucking his favorite black hoodie up. Or did it belong to Grimm? Who could really be certain at this point? Riley tied it around his waist and slipped on a pair of pants before sliding open their shared-nightstand to retrieve his favorite choker. They both owned a couple, being one of the few accessories that Riley actually enjoyed.

With that he deemed himself ready for the day.

Riley exited their bedroom into the living room that doubled as a kitchenette, across the way was the door to their bathroom and that was about it for their tiny apartment. It was home though.

Cleo caterwauled beside her empty food dish so while Riley waited for Grimm, he meandered to where they kept her food, only to find it nearly empty. That'd be something they'd have to buy today. Riley's brows knitted together as he gave Cleo the last of it, stooping down to briefly scratch behind her ears, the cat purred in content. She then looked at her bowl, nose twitching before she dove into it, munching loudly.

"Ready to go?" Grimm asked as she exited from the bathroom, now wearing a tank top and jeans that were two sizes too big on her, just the way she preferred. Her own choppy white hair was adorned with various colorful clips that Riley himself wouldn't be caught dead wearing. "Are you not going to shower?"

"I'll do it when we get back," Riley said, trying to play it off with a scoff. Grimm let out a sigh as her brother bolted out of the front door, following after him before he could get to far away. Lord knows what kind of trouble he would get in without her with him.

The blazing sun was well into the sky by the time Riley and Grimm walked down the street towards the local cafe, a comfortable silence between them, while the world itself was full of the sounds of chatter and distant music playing to which the latter hummed along to. As per the usual that came with living in a city such as New Orleans, the streets were bustling with activity, locals and tourists alike running their errands for the day, street-peddlers attempting to appeal to anyone that would listen. Riley wasn't a fan of having so many people around, it always served to put him a bit on edge as he kept close to his sister to make sure no one tried any funny business. He wasn't exactly the most intimidating person around, but that never stopped him from trying. All that mattered was Grimm being at ease and for the most part she was able to be. Though today something was off, Riley could tell, as Grimm looked rather tense clutching her satchel close to herself. He wondered what might be wrong, perhaps this particular crowd had somehow set off her anxiety, or something else Riley couldn't help her with.

"Your hair looks pretty today," Riley said out of the blue, just in case it was a confidence-boost she needed, which got Grimm to blink over at him with furrowed brows, confused. "Are those new clips, they look.... nice?"

"They're the same old ones, Riley," Grimm beamed, easing up as if nothing had been wrong in the first place. Mm, so perhaps Riley had just imagined it. Grimm raised a brow, "why the sudden compliments, are you wanting to run off to the club tonight or something?"

Neon lights flashed in Riley's mind along with the memory of some fruity cocktail he couldn't remember the name of, but still managed to spark a thrill through him. Well he technically didn't have to go back to work tomorrow and she was offering to let him go wild, so of course he had to accept that. Riley gave a sheepish grin and waved her off, his concerns moving to the back of his mind for the time being.

"You got me," he said to which Grimm nodded triumphantly, thinking she had her brother's thoughts down pat. Of which she usually did. Riley let out a sigh, it was all probably just in his head. Nothing was out of the ordinary and he just imagined things from his rough night of hardly any sleep.

However, as the two turned down the street where the cafe was, Riley turned towards Grimm only to see her tense again, her shoulder's ridged with an uncharacteristic grimace plastered on her face. A look Riley hadn't seen on her in some time, he frowned.

"Hey, are you alright?" He asked, noticing how she flinched as if she had forgotten he was there. She forced a smile, face flushed, as if trying to wave him off.

"Oh, yea, it's nothing," Grimm stated, going to turn away as she rubbed at her shoulder as though cold. Now it was Riley's turn to cross his arms as he cleared to throat to get her to look at him again. Grimm let out a small sigh as she hunched in on herself, looking even smaller than she normally was. "Um, I've just been getting this weird feeling lately.... Like I'm being watched."

"What?" Riley snapped, perhaps a bit too harshly by the way Grimm flinched, but the implications sent alarm bells off within Riley's head and he couldn't help it. He lowered his voice, apologetic, "is someone following you around?"

Riley looked around, fists clenched, as though he were about to launch himself at the next person that walked by. Grimm frantically waved her hands.

"No, it's nothing like that!" She said with a sigh, "if anything, there's nothing out of the usual around when I feel this way. Sometimes I'm even just sitting on the couch."

"How long has it been going on?" Riley asked, trying to wrap his head around it to help his sister. Even if he didn't exactly know how.

"Hm, I'm not sure," she said, brows knitted together as she thought it over, "few weeks now maybe?"

"Few weeks?" Riley asked exasperated, but Grimm again just waved him off.

"I'm sure it's nothing, you shouldn't have to worry," she said before motioning him along. Riley hadn't noticed they reached the cafe doors, his sister excitedly opening them and waiting for him to follow her in. Clearly the conversation was over and Riley did wish he could push away Grimm's concerns as easily as she had, but something about them didn't sit right with him. Sure Grimm could be a bit nervous, but she usually wasn't paranoid like that, it set off the alarm bells in Riley's head.

He followed her into the cafe.

The two made their orders and sat down, Grimm munching on a muffin as Riley poked at his lemon cake, appetite gone. Instead his eyes scanned the various patrons of the cafe, assessing each one as if they could be a threat. Don’t think he wouldn't fight someone for looking at his sister the wrong way. Hell, Riley would probably even fight God himself.

Grimm's soft voice rambled on with small talk that Riley only half-listened to, but he did ease up ever so slightly. Riley hummed as his previous plans for the night went through his mind, the flash of strobes and the tang of a drink on his tongue. However, he no longer felt right leaving his sister alone in their apartment. Sure, she'd have Cleo, but she was no guard cat.

"Actually, I think I'm just going to stay home for tonight," Riley muttered, taking another bite of cake. "We should watch a movie or something."

"Oh, can I pick this time?" Grimm asked to which Riley nodded and that was that. The two of them finished up at the cafe and took their leave, this time Grimm appeared more like her usual self and so even Riley began to relax. Perhaps it really was just a fleeting feeling and there was nothing else at play. Maybe some far off star was in retrograde or whatever the hell that meant, Grimm was into that sort of thing, Riley pondered. Either way, the two continued about their day, which really just meant Riley followed Grimm around as she bought a few groceries and other things they might need until their next paycheck. Riley knew little about cooking or food in general so he was happy enough to listen to his sister prattle on about the things she wanted to try. If it weren't for her, it would have been likely Riley would be living off instant meals anyway.  
Eventually they made it back to their tiny apartment without another hiccup, the conversation from earlier now just a distant memory. Grimm didn't even bring up the strange feelings again and so perhaps it really was just something fleeting and so Riley let his guard down. After all what could happen within the safety of their home?

After putting away their groceries, Grimm and Riley retired to their old battered couch to watch a movie. Grimm knelt by their entertainment system to rummage through the drawers where they kept DVDs, a few video games, and some books. Riley laid back on the couch while his sister shuffled through their stuff, Cleo hurrying over to clamber onto his lap. He went to scratch under her chin and received a tail lashing, her fur fluffing up as though agitated. How odd.

"What are you in the mood for?" Grimm casually asked as she moved some things to the side, "something scary or maybe a romance?"

Riley wrinkled his nose at that, not much of a fan of the latter, but he was doing this to make his sister feel better so he'd be going along with whatever she wanted.

"Don't ask me, it's your night," Riley shrugged, "but if you want my opinion, maybe choose something we haven't watched in awhile."

Grimm smiled and turned back to what she was doing, further moving things out of her way so she could reach the movies that were towards the back of the drawer. On Riley's lap, Cleo became still. He blinked and looked down at her and scratched the back of her head, but it only got her to let out a loud caterwaul. Oh no, was she about to get sick on his lap? Riley stood up, Cleo plopping down on the hardwood floors, her fur fluffed out as she faced where Grimm was still crouched by their entertainment system. Riley followed the cat's gaze and saw Grimm's shoulders go ridged as she looked up and glanced his way, not yet having noticed Cleo's strange behavior.

"Hey, do you smell something burning?" She asked to which Riley turned his nose up to take a sniff of the air, he frowned. It wasn't strong, but definitely there, the barest hint of smoke.

"Did you leave an incense burning or something?" He asked to which Grimm shook her head, the scent steadily becoming stronger. Perhaps that was what had Cleo so on edge, Riley looked towards the door, concerned that perhaps one of his neighbor's rooms was on fire, before back to their cat. Cleo was frozen to the spot as she intently stared Grimm down, while the smell only grew stronger and yet no fire alarms went off. Maybe someone in the building had burnt their popcorn or something, Riley tried to tell himself and yet he still couldn't stop the feeling that something was wrong.

It was then that Grimm's concerns about being watched entered the front of Riley's mind, but he had no time to think it over as a spark of light caught his eye. It instantly drew Riley's gaze towards Grimm's feet as the floor beneath her began to sizzle and crack, drawing out a surprised yelp from her as she stared down with wide eyes.

"Grimm!" Riley called out as he leaped over the coffee table in a mad dash to get to his sister's side as the trickling flames burned a bizarre symbol into their flooring. Grimm was far too mesmerized by it to move and just as Riley reached her side there was a bright flash of light. Cleo scrambled away from it with a hiss.

And then there was silence.

A few minutes later Cleo crept out of her hiding spot with a timid mew, but both of her owners were gone, nothing but a scorch mark left where they had stood.

\----

Technically it should have been a normal day at the Royal Academy of Diavolo and even with the new exchange students finally arriving and making the goal of uniting the realms one step closer, things could never be that simple. There was something about the universe that just wanted to make Lucifer's life a lot more difficult than it needed to be.

Things started out according to plan as they should have been, Lucifer would accept nothing less. The student council room crowded with his brothers (the ones that bothered to show up anyway, he would certainly throttling Mammon and Leviathan later for not even bothering to make an appearance) and even though they were a ruckus with conversation, things appeared to be going smoothly.

Almost too smoothly.

Throughout the day they had already met with the other exchange students, both the angels and the sorcerer that Asmodeus clung to until Lucifer pulled him off. Now all they had to do was pluck their other human out of the human world and into their own, something that should have been simple enough considering they had already done it successfully that day. One would think anyway.

Something felt off to Lucifer, or perhaps his nerves were getting the best of him (not that he would ever admit that.) Perhaps he was slightly concerned about bringing a normal human into the Devildom which meant he’d have to babysit them, something he wasn't looking forward to. Lucifer looked over the human's file again for what must have been the hundredth time as Diavolo practically vibrated with excitement next to him as they waited for Barbatos to finish with his summoning portal. It'd be any second now. Lucifer's red gaze drifted over the name. 'Grimm Thorne,' the name read and even now he still couldn't believe that a human of all things could have such a name.

"I thought it was kind of ironic!" Diavolo had laughed back when Lucifer initially questioned the name, but according to the files they had on the human, she had chosen the name for herself which made just a little bit more sense. Her original name had been redacted from the files.

Lucifer had also read that Grimm had a twin brother, but it wasn't important so he didn’t dwell on such details as family members. In hindsight he probably should have.

"Aren't you absolutely thrilled to meet the new human, Lucifer?" Diavolo asked him, bringing him out of his revere just as Barbatos finished up with the portal.

"Of course," Lucifer ushered as he set the file down and turned towards where the human would appear. Everything was in order, just as they should have been, the portal burst to life in a flash of bright flames and even his brothers shut up as they focused on it. The flame burned hotter and from it came a scream before finally evaporating and from it, not one, but two humans fell to the ground in a harsh heap.

Wait.... TWO?!

Lucifer's entirely body went ridged as he scanned over the two humans multiple times to make sure it wasn't his eyes playing tricks on him. Sure enough, there were two humans laying upon the student council chamber's floor, looking both dazed and confused. One of them he recognized as Grimm from the picture in her file, the other one he could only guess was her twin brother by how similar the two looked, the only thing different about them being their style of hair.

Lucifer glanced towards Diavolo to see the demon lord's expression mirrored his own, so it would seem this definitely wasn't supposed to happen. Honestly, Lucifer could never be too sure if something was a mistake or if Diavolo had just forgotten to mention it to him.

"Oh dear...." Barbatos murmured at the sight as the two humans slowly came to, having the audacity to look amused at the mistake his portal made. There was a small smile on his face as he looked over towards where his prince was, the two of them exchanging a look that had Diavolo's golden eyes blazing like the sun. An excited look Lucifer knew all too well. Nothing good could have come from it.

"This is certainly an interesting turn of events," Diavolo murmured, as he rubbed his chin in contemplation while just behind the group, Lucifer's brothers began to become rowdy once again.

"They look like we pulled them out of the garbage," Asmodeus hissed into Satan's ear, his nose wrinkled up in disgust. The latter looked rather amused by the circumstances with a smirk on his face, even more so as Lucifer glared at his brothers. Only a foot away from the two, stood Beelzebub, holding onto his empty stomach and staring towards the humans like a starving dog would a steak.

Lucifer could feel himself losing control of the situation, the second human had been such a shock, that he had allowed things to become unruly. And today had been going so well.

"Lord Diavolo, apologies for this mistake," Lucifer said, turning back towards the prince, "I'll send the extra human back immediately-"

Diavolo lifted a hand as if to wave the other demon off, the simple motion of it getting Lucifer to cease his bristling.

"At ease, Lucifer, I'll take it from here," Diavolo said as he stepped towards the humans and Lucifer could do nothing else except stand there. He watched as Grimm sat up, the dizzying effect from the portal spell wearing off of her as she held her head and looked around the room with wide green eyes.

"W-Where are we?" She asked to no one in particular as her gaze finally landed on Lord Diavolo standing in front of her. Grimm let out a tiny gasp that doubled as a frightened squeak, and it was well warranted for the demon lord towered greatly over her.

"Apologies for the harsh trip," Diavolo said as he crouched down to make himself appear less threatening, even going so far as to offer the human his hand. She only stared at it, wide-eyed. "We tend to forget average humans aren't accustomed to that sort of transport."

When it became clear Grimm wasn't going to take Diavolo's hand, he dropped it, though his calming smile never wavered.

"I would like to officially welcome you.... the two of you, to the Devildom," Diavolo went on as Grimm finally tore her confused gaze away to glance about the room, her eyes landing on Lucifer not too far away. He could see the fear within them as clear as day and Lucifer thought perhaps he was right to believe this all would be too much on the average human. He crossed his arms and she was quick to look away.

"The.... what?" Grimm asked, her soft voice barely reaching an octave as she faced Diavolo, a curious tilt to her head. The demon lord opened his mouth as if to speak, however, he didn't get the chance as Grimm was pulled backwards by their extra human. Her brother had suddenly leaped up from his spot on the floor to put himself between his sister and the demon lord, having the audacity to glare Diavolo down as if he were beneath the measly human.

"Back away from her," the human man growled like a rabid dog, his muscles tensed as if he was about to leap at Diavolo at any moment. That sent a spark of wrath through Lucifer that could rival Satan's as his fist clenched, for this lowly creature thought he could treat someone of Diavolo's rank like that. Lucifer stepped forward, a growl of his own bubbling to the surface, only for Diavolo to raise his hand in a silent order to stay back, to which the avatar of pride would have to listen. Though he didn't have to enjoy it, and so Lucifer quietly seethed, feeling his brothers' stares on his back as they watched the entire thing unfold in amusement. Lucifer was glad only half of them were there, he'd probably never hear the end of it from Mammon if he had been there.

"Sorry for the intrusion, but we mean you no harm," Diavolo said, taking note of the way Grimm clung onto her brother, though whether it was because she was scared or if she was trying to hold him back was unclear. "My name is Diavolo, I am the ruler of all demons."

An array of various emotions flashed upon the human twins' faces, shock, confusion and most of all from Grimm's brother, distrust. His eyes narrowed as he took a careful step backwards, taking Grimm along with him. His gaze flicked over towards Barbatos, who was the second one closest to them, and who quite honestly exuberated the most demonic energy within the room. There was something about the way he looked and held himself that was unnatural by human's standards, though that could be said for all of them if you got close enough to really look. Barbatos sent a calm smile their way, but something about it clearly sent shivers down the human's spine.

Meanwhile, Grimm peaked out from behind her brother, her features appearing much softer than the other's as she looked at Diavolo's hulking form. His arms were held out, palms forward in a show of good faith, a smile on his face that read as friendly despite his unnaturally sharp teeth being bared.

"So...." Grimm murmured as she eased up ever so slightly, taking the smallest step out from behind her brother. "You don't want to hurt us?"

"Not at all," Diavolo said calmly, even despite the sharp look he received from the human man, the latter looking back and forth between the demon lord and Grimm. He appeared nervous as Diavolo went on, "I'm actually very excited to be meeting you."

"You are?"

"Of course, you've been chosen for a very special task, Grimm," Diavolo said. "The royal academia of Diavolo, where we are right now, is having an exchange program with all of the other realms in order to unite them. You've been chosen as one of our human representatives."

"Really?" Grimm asked, eyes sparkling as if the mere idea was fantastical to her. Diavolo nodded and was finally able to cross his arms, having eased the tension in the room enough to where they didn't have to worry about their new human students dying of fright. Lucifer was a tad bit impressed, though.... It would appear the extra human was still going to be difficult as the sharp scent of someone ready for a fight wafted through the air.

Lucifer couldn't wait for them to be rid of him.

"Grimm...." Riley said, voice low as he set a protective hand on his sister's shoulder, never taking his eyes off the demons in the room. A smart move, really. Grimm and Riley exchanged a look that ended with the former frowning as she turned back towards Diavolo.

"What about Riley?" Grimm asked, her brows furrowed as her brother continued to glare towards the rest of them.

"Well, only you were supposed to be summoned here," Diavolo chuckled as if trying to make light of this situation. Lucifer wasn't sure it was working. "It's just an accident your brother got sucked into the portal as well. We'll send him back as soon as Barbatos gets the portal-"

"No!" Both Grimm and Riley spat out in unison, a muscle reflex as the two clutched onto one another, Lord Diavolo taken aback for the moment. Lucifer watched the exchange silently, though he wanted nothing more than to tear those humans' heads off for speaking to Diavolo in such a way. However, he supposed he could understand where they were coming from, wanting to stick together in such a strange place as this. That didn't mean Lucifer was going to let them do whatever they wanted, however.

"I'll do it," Grimm said suddenly before Lucifer could do much else, getting all eyes in the room on her and even Diavolo looked genuinely surprised. The human, noticing all the stares, shrank back ever so slightly.

"What?!" Riley exclaimed as he looked at his sister as if she had grown another head.

"But," Grimm went on, her quiet tone finally gaining an edge to it. "Only if Riley gets to stay too, we're all each other has, you can't separate us."

Surely, Diavolo wouldn't stoop so low as to allow these humans to waltz all over him and yet.... The demon lord put an inquisitive hand to his chin and hummed as if genuinely thinking it over, grating on Lucifer's nerves. He couldn't be seriously considering it, right? They were only supposed to have two human exchange students, not THREE. The extra baggage would simply throw the whole thing off, and yet here was Diavolo, turning to face both Lucifer and Barbatos.

"What do you two think?" Diavolo asked, seeking the opinions of two of his oldest friends.

"Sounds like it'd an interesting time, my lord," Barbatos purred, not even bothering to hide how much he actually enjoyed his own mistake. Lucifer wanted to tell the other two demons what he exactly thought of the idea, however, he knew he could never speak out against Lord Diavolo especially when it was clear he was outnumbered. So instead, Lucifer bit his tongue to hold the pride boiling in his chest back.

"I'll go along with whatever you wish, Lord Diavolo," Lucifer bowed his head instead, the motion taking all he had. Diavolo's golden eyes met Lucifer's red for the briefest moment before he nodded.

"So be it," he turned back towards the human twins, welcoming them once more with open arms. "I want what's best for our guests and if that means having your brother here with you than I'll allow it."

"Thank-you so much, Lord Diavolo!" Grimm cheered, an excited look in her eye as she bounced forward to throw her arms around the demon prince for a hug. "I-I'll try my best in the exchange program."

Diavolo tensed by the action for only the briefest moment before letting out the hardiest of laughs and bringing Grimm in to return the hug. Lucifer would have absolutely lost it had it not been for Asmo absolutely frothing at the mouth behind him, to keep him somewhat sane. These humans had to learn they couldn't just DO stuff like that, however, Lucifer had promised Diavolo he wouldn't scare the human off on the first day and so he could only stand there and allow it to happen. Tomorrow was a different story though.

"That's all I could ask for," Diavolo said in response to Grimm as the two finally separated, Riley shuffling up to lightly pull his sister away. The worry he felt was clear to all of those in the room.

"A-Are you sure, Grimm?" Riley asked in an attempted whisper that held no secrets for each demon had hearing far more advanced than the humans could ever hope for. "I mean, they're demons, which admittedly I thought were made up to keep people in line with threats of eternal damnation. Humans can hardly be called trustworthy, how on Earth are we supposed to trust the likes of them?"

"Hmm," Grimm hummed as she looked at each of the demons in turn, because despite how much she wanted to give them the benefit of the doubt, Riley did have a point. The demons within the room all stood unnaturally still, like a pack of piranha lying in wait, and something about them certainly did lean into uncanny valley territory and made Grimm shudder if she dwelled on it too long and yet.... Diavolo's gaze looked so hopeful as if he put his all into the words he told her. Grimm gave a small smile as she looked back at Riley and nodded, "I think we can."

The other human could only sigh in defeat, for Grimm had made up her mind and there was no changing it now. Diavolo clapped his hands together, getting both of the humans to flinch back, the demon prince absolutely thrilled.

"Excellent, I'm glad you'll allow us this chance," Diavolo said and it was funny really, Lucifer thought, how easy it was for Diavolo to make it seem like the humans even had a choice in the matter. It was then that Diavolo turned his golden gaze onto Lucifer, motioning the other demon forward. So it was time to finally move things along, far behind the schedule they had originally set out to follow. Lucifer held back a sigh as he approached the small group. He didn't know what he may look like to the humans, didn't really care, though Grimm's eyes going round at the sight of him followed by her slipping back behind her brother was to be expected. What was not expected, however, was the spare-human turning to face him head on with a scowl that brought to mind the saying 'if looks could kill.' It was almost laughable really, how this lowly human thought he could take any of them in a fight, that he could truly defend his sister if they were in any actual danger. Though that was yet to be determined, it was sad really.

Lucifer neared them and as he got closer he realized another difference between the two, the color of their eyes. He had assumed Riley's would be some shade of green like Grimm's, though upon closer inspection, it would appear the eyes currently glaring up at Lucifer were a most peculiar shade of pink. Unnatural for a human, angelic even. It put a fowl taste in Lucifer's mouth.

"Grimm, Riley, this is my right hand man and friend, Lucifer, the avatar of pride," Diavolo introduced, motioning towards the other demon. "It's his job to make sure you're well taken care of during your time here."

"On behalf of the Devildom," Lucifer said whilst placing his hand on his chest, a false smile on his face. "I offer you a most heartfelt welcome."


	2. Chapter 2

Whoever had coined the phrase "when hell freezes over" had clearly been wrong and also had never been to actual hell before. Grimm shook like a leaf in winter as she stepped out into the frigid Devildom air, which could honestly explain why all the demons around her had been wearing long-sleeved uniforms that appeared far too warm for her liking. Now she kind of wished she had one.

Grimm wrapped her arms around herself as she exited the academy building with the others, her breath on the air. Having grown up in Texas and then lived in New Orleans for several years now, to say it was a shock to her system would be an understatement. Grimm looked towards Riley to see he wasn't fairing much better, however, as he crossed his arms with a scowl he had since they left the student council chambers, she supposed spite alone kept him warm. She let out a small sigh and lightly tugged on the scarf Diavolo had given her, thankful to at least have something, regretful of the tank-top she wore.

Apparently the scarf had several uses. The initial reason for it was to show she was under the demon lord's protection as one of RAD's exchange students. Apparently, from what Grimm had been told, the silken fabric had his scent on it which was something that would deter most if not all other demons from even looking her way. She couldn't really smell anything, but had been told that their kind had much more heightened senses. Grimm didn't know if that was a comfort to know or not.

Either way, the scarf was only temporary. After all, the scent would eventually wear off. By that point in time, she would have been at the house of lamentation enough for the scents of the demons that lived there to rub off on her. It all sounded so convoluted, so she would just have to take their word for it.

Riley unfortunately didn't get a scarf, since his presence had been unplanned, and when Grimm offered for him to take her's he had quickly declined. Grimm hoped they could get some time alone soon, a lot had happened in an hour and they needed to talk things over. It was still hard to believe this whole day hadn't been just a weird dream, but the biting cold on her skin as she walked the dark streets of hell was enough to make her know she was wide awake.

"If you're cold, I can warm you up~" Came a singsong voice from behind her, making Grimm jump before twirling around to face the beautiful demon that had approached her. While they were in the student council chambers, both Grimm and Riley had been introduced to the demons they'd be staying with, though a couple of them hadn't been present. She remembered that this one's name was Asmodeus, the avatar of lust. He held himself properly and was, as the saying goes, dressed to impress with not a single hair out of line. Asmo wore a light layer of make-up that accentuated his features perfectly and all Grimm wanted to do was gush as ask him to tell her his beauty secrets, but having just met him kept her lips sealed. She didn't know the first thing about talking to demons.

He stared at her with a Cheshire grin and sparkling eyes, waiting for some kind of response.

"Oh, do you have an extra jacket?" Grimm tilted her head to the side, innocently enough. The demon looked to be taken aback by only the briefest moment before he let out an amused purr, it was odd, to hear such a sound come from someone that appeared so human. He wasn't human though, none of them were, a fact that Grimm struggled to wrap her head around. Well, human or not, she supposed she wouldn't treat them any differently than a normal stranger. Riley, however, was another story.

"Back off, harlot," Her brother sudden spoke for the first time since earlier. He stepped up to put himself between his sister and the demon, glaring at him as if he were a pest. Asmodeus' purr increased in volume, from deep within his chest as he tilted his head to the side.

"Riley, that's rude!" Grimm reprimanded in a loud whisper as she attempted to pull her brother back. It had about the same effect if she were to pull upon a large dog's leash, however, as he remained footed to the spot focused on Asmo. It didn't deter the demon in the slightest as he shuffled up a bit closer to Riley.

"Yea, don't be like that," Asmo said, smile never faltering, "you could join too, you know-"

"Asmo," came the deep voice of Lucifer as he walked by, having previously been in the back of the group so he could keep an eye on the humans on their walk home. "Leave them be."

Asmo huffed before scampering away to rejoin where Satan was at the head of the group, no doubt to gush to his other brother about "their new humans." Just like he had been since the two of them first arrived, Grimm smiled, that one certainly was excitable wasn't he?

"Keep along, Grimm," Lucifer stated, bringing her out of her stupor as he paused nearby to glance back at her. His dark eyes had a red sheen to them that made her feel small, and not just because he towered over her either. "We're almost to the house."

"Yes sir," Grimm said as she hurried along to not be left behind in this strange new place. It looked similar to how a human city would be, especially in layout and yet.... everything looked off. The streets shimmered and pulsated while the buildings bowed and leaned a little far too much on one side. It was unnatural, much like the demons they walked with and the demons that passed them on the streets.

Riley followed closely behind Grimm and was silent once more, she wanted to ask what he thought about the architecture of this place, but knew it would be no good. Riley was too focused on glaring daggers into the back of Lucifer's head right up until they passed him by so he could take up the rear once more. Grimm couldn't even blame Riley, really, for the most part while the demons had attempted kindness towards her, they had rather pretend her brother wasn't there.

And for the life of her she couldn't even tell if they were treating Riley poorly because of his near constant glares towards them or not. Grimm gave a small smile and looked at her brother while he rubbed his hands together to keep them warm.

"I think it's going to be okay, Riley," Grimm said as she walked close by him, hoping she could somehow find words of encouragement. It was always a hard task to get Riley to see the brighter side of things, especially in such a dark place as the Devildom.

"How can you be so sure?" He asked, looking over at her and for the first time, Grimm could see the barest hint of fear sparkling within his eyes. "They're demons and this is technically hell, just what on Earth are you thinking, Grimm? We should be demanding for them to send us home."

"I just...." Grimm began before trailing off as she tried to find her words. She couldn't explain it, but something deep within her gut told her this was the right thing to do. "Lord Diavolo and Lucifer made the exchange program sound so important and I, of all people, was chosen to participate. That has to mean something."

"It won't mean anything if you get hurt," Riley said under his breath, glancing at Grimm from the corner of his eye and noticing her shivering. Barely there for two hours and already it was obvious the two humans were unequipped for this land. Riley grunted and chucked off his hoodie to offer it to his sister, the cold immediately biting at his now-bare arms.

"Won't you be cold?" Grimm asked with furrowed brows, though she accepted the coat none-the-less, knowing by now Riley wouldn't allow her to deny it.

"I'll be fine...." Riley shrugged before leaning a bit closer to whisper. He didn't want any of the surrounding strangers to hear their conversation, though unfortunately for him, demons had quite excellent hearing. "There's a lot of demons here. Staying means having to trust THEM and putting our lives in their hands. I'm not too thrilled about the thought of having to rely on someone named freaking LUCIFER."

"I guess you have a point...." Grimm sighed as she looked away, perhaps she had gone along with their essential kidnapping far too easily. Her gaze trailed over to where Lucifer walked only to find the demon's eyes glowering at the two from several feet away. Not far behind him was another one of the demons, Beelzebub, Grimm remembered being his name. He also stared at the humans, though with a single hand resting on his stomach, he almost looked pained. Grimm frowned and looked back towards her brother, an awkward silence having rose up around the group. She didn't like it and decided to speak, "so, do you think he's like.... ACTUAL Lucifer, or-"

"I don't know and I'm not asking!" Riley spat, perhaps a little too loudly, before he bit his lip to silence himself. His tone was much quieter now, "look we just need to mind our own business and don't go asking too many questions."

Grimm sighed, for it would appear Riley made up his mind and there was seldom getting him to budge whenever that happened. She looked down at where she stood on the cobblestone pathway, a frown graving her features as she feared that perhaps Riley was right and this was a horrific mistake. They should be fighting tooth and nail to get back to the life they had built in New Orleans, and yet the nagging in the back of her mind was firm in her decision. It reminded Grimm of the same uneasy feeling she had felt for the past couple of months, only this one was more.... pleasant.

As Grimm stared down at her feet and contemplated her current situation, she would have to continue walking again or be reprimanded by Lucifer, but she couldn't get herself to move. Not until a large shadow slipped into her peripheral and began to loom over her, a cold chill went down her spine as she spun around and nearly collided right into someone's chest. Grimm jumped back with wide eyes as she looked up at the demon Beelzebub, he had so suddenly sneaked up on her that she hadn't even heard his footsteps. He looked almost apologetic as he nervously played with his hands.

"S-Sorry," he stammered, still looking pained as he stared her down and tentatively licked at his lips. "Hungry...."

"Beel," came Lucifer's warning tone just as Riley spun around, 100% ready to throw hands with this demon that towered over him. Grimm was quick to throw out her hand into Riley's chest to hold him back. Of course, her brother could have easily pushed past her if he wanted to, but with mutual respect he backed down, though that didn't stop him from sending a death glare to the demon that had dared to approach them. Grimm let out a small sigh before putting on a friendly smile and turning back towards Beelzebub, who was currently staring at her as if she were an appetizer.

"Riley gets hangry easily, so I keep snacks in my satchel," Grimm offered as she reached for the bag at her side. "You could have some if you want."

Beel's eyes sparkled in wonder, "human world food?"

Grimm nodded as she fished out a granola bar, it wasn't much, but perhaps it would be the thought that counts.

"But those are MY snacks," Riley muttered under his breath which got a quick glare from his sister to shut him up before she offered the measly morsel to Beelzebub. The granola bar, wrapper and all, was gone in seconds as the demon snatched it up and practically downed it whole. Both Grimm and Riley stared at him with wide eyes as Beel licked his lips, a smile on his face as he appeared a bit happier now.

"Do you have any more?" He asked to which Grimm nodded before Riley grabbed the crook of her arm. He tugged her along to continue walking, and Beel followed not far behind. Grimm fished out a candy bar and offered it to the starved demon, this time he accepted it much slower with a small thank-you. Grimm smiled even as she noticed the bright orange nails on his large hands, thick and sharpened to a point much like claws and as he opened his mouth she caught sight of his teeth. He had sharp canines while the rest were thickened and broad, kind of like a hyena's, the kind of teeth that could crush bone.

Grimm watched him in awe, that being proof enough that none of the men around them were human. She looked back at Lucifer, to see him carefully watch the two humans as Beelzebub hovered so close next to them. She couldn't, however, read much of the dark-haired demon's expression and didn't bother making a guess.

Shaking her head, Grimm decided to turn her attention back to the road ahead of them and blinked in surprise when she realized Asmodeus and Satan were no longer in view. Before she could question where they had gone, Asmo's pretty head popped around the corner of a building as he waved to them.

"Hurry up little humans, the house is over yonder~" he called before vanishing again and Grimm couldn't help but pick up the pace. She didn't admit it, but she was excited to see where their home, and where she would live for the duration of her stay.

Grimm hurried around the corner with Riley and Beel following soon after, the group now finding themselves in the shadow of the House of Lamentation. Grimm's eyes went wide in wonder as she looked at it, the house sat on the top of a hill surrounded by a dark and dense forest. Honestly, it was less of a house and more of a mansion, and she played with her hands in worry she would end up getting lost in such a grand place.

"Oh yea, that place is definitely haunted," Riley muttered under his breath next to her.

"It is," Beel stated as he retrieved a snack-size bag of chips from Grimm's satchel, tossing them back into his mouth in one go. Grimm grinned at the sight, glad she could be of help to the Avatar of Gluttony.

"Great...." Riley grumbled as the group watched Asmodeus and Satan vanish into the shadows of the trees.

"Stay close so you don't get lost," Lucifer stated as he walked passed them to the treeline. "I fully expect you to learn the path eventually."

Riley rolled his eyes before following along with the others, Grimm grabbed Riley's arm and stepped a bit closer to Beel on impulse as the world around them became even darker. Not a single tree had leaves and yet somehow the forest was still dense enough to block out what little light source they had. The pathway was small, spindly brambles and thorns still managing to snag onto Grimm's legs, making her wince as she got scratched up. Next to her, Riley swore under his breath as the forest treated him the same way.

It was hard to see much further in front of them and all she could make out was the vague outline of Lucifer a few feet away. It suddenly made her thankful to have Beelzebub close by, and if all it cost was the snacks in her bag, then that was fine by her.

"He really expects us to get used to this?" Riley asked as there was a distant caterwaul, some hellish beast calling out within the trees. He huddled closely with his sister, eyes flitting back and forth to try and see anything heinous moving around within the shadows.

"It's not so bad," Grimm murmured, fascinated by the possibly mysteries around them, though Riley didn't share in her enthusiasm. Luckily for him, they were only within the trees for a few more minutes before the claw-like branches thinned out to make way for the large fence that encircled the building. The group entered through the main gate one by one and finally reached the front yard of the house.

Looking around, Grimm noticed the expansive garden growing within the yard, out of control and full of bizarre looking plants she knew to be unearthly. She perked up at the sight of them as she pictured herself walking through the garden and examining every plant, she hoped that'd be something she was allowed to do. Meanwhile, Asmo and Satan were no where to be seen, having already dispersed and vanished into the house, going about their way now that the excitement of the day had died down for them.

"Welcome to the House of Lamentation," Lucifer said as he walked over towards the front door, not even waiting to see if he was being followed. Grimm had to hurry a long, and since she was still clutching onto Riley, her brother was forced to follow though he appeared less than enthused. Riley was still tense as he glanced around the yard as if at any moment they could still be attacked. Walking up the front steps, Lucifer opened the grand double doors and ushered the two humans and his brother inside. "A room has been prepared for you in advance, if you'll follow me, I shall show you to it."

"Sounds good to me...." Grimm's voice trailed off as they walked into the main entrance, the enormous staircase leading to who knows where immediately catching her attention. She took her time to glance about as the heat from a distant fireplace warmed her, eyes landing on an extravagant sparkling chandelier. For the most part, the house definitely had that kind of Gothic style one would assume a house of demons would have. That being said, Grimm did think it suited them. "You have a lovely home."

"Maybe if you're a vampire from the 1800s," Riley said under his breath to which Grimm was quick to lightly jab him in the side.

"Thank-you," Lucifer responded to Grimm before his dark gaze turned to Riley, "at least some of you humans have manners."

That made Riley visibly bristle, but to Grimm's relief, he didn't open his mouth and make things any worse. Riley was still unsure of where he stood in this situation and wasn't exactly ready to test out these uncertain waters. Grimm sat a calming hand on his shoulder to which Riley eased up ever so slightly.

"Come along" Lucifer spoke up, walking towards the staircase, "I'll show you to your room."

As Grimm was about to follow, her satchel was snagged on something and she was lightly tugged backwards. She looked to see Beel's hand had once again been rummaging through her bag, to which he quickly retreated upon being noticed, looking almost apologetic. Grimm didn't mind one bit, she could always replace the snacks, and yet.... Her bag felt a whole lot lighter.

She opened it up to find nothing inside.

"Oh, it's empty," she said in a mixture of wonder and being rather impressed. Meanwhile, Riley grumbled to himself, but he would be fine.

"Sorry...." Beel muttered as he looked down at his hands, suddenly making Grimm feel bad. Being the Avatar of Gluttony, she suspected that must mean this particular demon was insatiable.

"It's okay.... wait," she began, waving her hands in surrender to let him know she didn't mind, however.... She paused as she glanced within her emptied satchel once more. "I had a package of tissues in there and.... Did you eat my phone?"

"What?!" Riley spat just as Grimm looked back up at Beel with wide eyes, he frowned before giving a firm nod. Oh. Grimm's mouth dropped open as if to say something, but she as at a loss for words.

"Human world phones don't work here," Lucifer spoke from where he was, already half-way up the stairs. He paused and looked back at the group in mild annoyance, "you'll be issued a Devildom Device to use during your time here. Now please hurry, I'm already far behind my schedule."

Well, there was no arguing with that as Lucifer continued on his way without waiting to see if the others followed or not. Grimm grabbed a hold of Riley's arm and pulled him along after the Avatar of Pride so as to not get left behind and lose their way within the massive house. And massive it truly was as they scaled stairwells and winding hallways to reach the destination Lucifer knew of, likely by heart at this point. Grimm could feel her palms grow sweaty as she wondered how on Earth she would ever learn her way around. Even Riley appeared out of his element as he glanced at each room and piece of décor they passed by, he was on edge, fists clenched as if waiting for a fight.

Grimm's hold tightened on his arm to prevent any punches getting thrown, just in case someone decided to walk out of a room in that moment. However, soon enough Lucifer came to a stop in front of what looked to be an ancient oak door and using an equally ancient brass key, he opened it and stepped aside. Grimm tiptoed forward to glance in, her jaw nearly dropping as she caught sight of the immaculate room, though she honestly didn't know why she was so surprised. It matched the rest of the house.

"I-I think this is bigger than our apartment," Riley stuttered beside her, his eyes going uncharacteristically wide as he looked at where a living tree grew within the room. It's low branches providing as sort of canopy from where it hung over the singular bed within the room. Beelzebub, having caught up with the group, leaned forward to sniff at the air that wafted out of the open door. Grimm didn't know what he could smell, but to her the air felt a tad stale with a high humidity to keep the plant-life alive. It was likely this room seldom saw any use.

"I'll be ordering another bed from Akuzon," Lucifer explained as both Grimm and Riley took tentative steps into the room that would be theirs during their stay there. "Until then, you'll have to make due."

"It's not a problem for us," Riley mumbled as he looked down at the hardwood flooring, still refusing to so much as acknowledge the demons other than the occasional glare. He scuffed it with his foot, "I can probably take the floor."

"What?" Grimm asked with a frown, "but Riley, what about your back?"

"S'fine," her brother shrugged as if it were no big deal to him, but that didn't do anything to help Grimm's concern.

"One of them could stay in my room," Beel suddenly spoke up, "I don't mind."

"Really?" Grimm asked, hopeful, as she spun around to face the two demons that were still stood in the doorway. Lucifer crossed his arms and looked between his brother and the human.

"I don't think that's a good idea," he said, tone firm.

"It's the least I could do," Beel continued before he blinked as if having a realization, "ah, as long as they bring more snacks."

Lucifer hummed, deep in contemplation as he thought over what might be the best thing to do in this situation.

"I'll do it," Grimm spoke up with a smile, "if it's really okay."

That got Riley to grimace as he stepped closer to his sister to whisper into her ear, "I'm kinda agreeing with that other demon, Grimm. Please be smart about this."

"I am," she whispered back, green eyes blazing with a determination that Riley knew he could never budge. "If we're staying here for who knows how long then I want to get to know everyone."

"The exchange lasts a year," Lucifer spoke up nonchalantly. though to Grimm it sounded as if he were becoming fed up with the situation. If she squinted, he might have even looked a tad tired, though that could easily be a trick of the light. "But so be it, if you wish I'll allow you to stay with Beel until you're bed arrives."

"A year...." Grimm heard Riley mutter under his breath, latching onto that particular detail. Meanwhile, Lucifer turned towards Beelzebub.

"Make sure you eat extra tonight," he said, "though I probably don't have to tell you that."

Beel nodded in a contagious excitement that had Grimm about to bounce on her feet, she stayed still however as Lucifer turned his dark gaze onto her.

"Well, we'll leave you two to get settled in then," he said with a hand on his chest, "dinner is at 6 o'clock sharp every night. I expect you to be there, though I'll be lenient tonight to allow you to become acclimated."

"Thank-you, Lucifer," Grimm said once she found her voice, something hard to do with the demon's wild gaze directed towards her. "For everything."

With that Lucifer nodded and took his leave along with Beelzebub, the two demons shutting the door behind them. And finally, for the first time since they had gotten there, Grimm and Riley were alone. Grimm let out a breath, her knees suddenly becoming weak, as the natural human instinct of being fearful of demons ebbed into her. She had to remind herself they appeared kind enough and Diavolo had promised their safety. He had claimed to never lie and so she had to believe him.

"I'm gonna be sick," Riley's voice broke the silence that had rose up inside the large room. Grimm finally turned to face him once more, only to see her brother looked incredibly pale, more so than usual. "A whole year, Grimm. We can't stay in hell for a year, we have lives!"

"I know."

"What about Cleo and all of our stuff?!" Riley practically growled, "if we don't pay our rent, we'll lose it all! Not to mention all of my jobs, if I don't show up, they'll replace me so fast. It took me years to gain all those connections and get us into a comfortable position...."

"I.... I know."

"Please tell me what's going on," Riley said and as he looked at Grimm, he looked so broken to her. A look she hadn't seen on his face in many years, it made her feel terrible and broke her heart. She frowned and put a hand on her chest, her heart pumped steadily, a sign that despite being in what was essentially hell, she was still alive and well.

"I can't pinpoint it, I just feel like we should be here," Grimm let out a sorrowful sigh, "besides, do you really think they'd just let us go home if we asked?"

"I guess you're right," Riley slumped as he walked towards the bed and plopped down onto it. He ran his fingers through his hair, brushing back the fringe that tended to hang over the right side of his face. "They keep putting on these friendly smiles around us, but they're full of bullshit I can tell. That's what people do when they want something from you."

"They're not people though," Grimm pointed out with a frown, she knew Riley struggled with trusting others, but she couldn't even blame him this time. He was on high alert and she could practically see the gears turning in his head.

"That's even worse!" Riley exclaimed, flopping over onto the bed and for the first time since they had gotten there, Grimm realized Riley looked utterly exhausted with light shadows under his eyes. "Did you see the way they moved, it was like something from a horror movie! Something feels so wrong about all of this."

Riley put his head in his hands with a groan and so Grimm decided to leave him be for the time being. She instead walked over to the long table on the opposite side of the room. On top of it lay a neatly folded school uniform very similar in style to the ones the demons wore. Laying on it was what appeared to be a cellphone, it looked like an average smartphone, but she knew it must have been the Devildom Device Lucifer mentioned. Grimm tentatively picked it up to see there was a note under it, in bright pink cursive writing it read "For Grimm!" followed by a doodle of a winky face and several hearts. Despite it all, it brought a smile to Grimm's face.

Behind her, Riley let out a loud and melodramatic sigh, "you know, dad always said we'd go to hell."

"Hush!" Grimm called out as she bounced over to where Riley laid on the bed, motioning for him to make room for her. He grumbled but pulled himself up anyway, Grimm plopped down next to him. "Check it out, you want to look through this demon phone with me?"

Riley said nothing as Grimm turned on the device, though he feigned disinterest, he couldn't hide leaning over ever so slightly to see what was going on. The screen lit up and displayed the logo of a bird along with a welcome message before revealing a bunch of pre-downloaded apps. All of which Grimm had never heard of, but with names like 'Devilgram', she could make a well educated guess for their Earthly alternatives. Grimm blinked, a little overwhelmed by it all, but honestly it was similar to a normal phone. She didn't know if that made this whole thing better or worse, the Devildom replicated how things were in the human world so much that she wondered if it was all a coincidence or on purpose.

Shaking the thoughts from her head, Grimm closed the app she was examining and noticed she already had a notification in the chat app. Curiously she clicked on it to see that it was a message from Diavolo, reading, "if you need anything at all let either me or Lucifer know!" followed by a happy emoji. It brought a smile to Grimm's face as she typed out a quick thanks before sending it and clicking on Diavolo's name, it took her to the phone's contact list. Surprisingly, all the demons she had met so far were already listed and should she want to contact any of them, they were just a click away.

Riley scoffed, "you should change all their names to something dumb."

"Real mature," Grimm chuckled as Riley leaned back and pulled out his own human world-phone, he frowned down at it. Grimm glanced over to see the large 'no service' notification on it, making Riley let out a deep sigh.

"Hey, maybe you'll get a Devildom phone too," Grimm suggestion in an attempt to lighten her brother's mood. He shrugged.

"I don't think I'd use it much anyway," he grumbled, "only to call you. There's no way in.... hell.... I'd ever ring up a demon."

Riley crossed his arms and started pouting and so Grimm would leave him to it, instead deciding to spend some time exploring the room. All the while her D.D.D. started a frantic dinging as it began to receive a few messages all at once. Grimm hummed as she walked towards an old dresser that matched the same wood of the room's door. As she slipped open the empty drawers to peer inside, she flipped through the messages on her phone.

**Chat: House of Lamentation**

**Lucifer:** Alright, who knocked over the hallway table?

**Asmodeus** : Wasn't me~

**Leviathan:** I'm not saying that it was Mammon, but it was Mammon.

**Lucifer:** Of course.

**Mammon:** WHA?!

Grimm didn't remember meeting Leviathan or Mammon, but she could recall Lucifer mentioning having other brothers that weren't present when introducing the ones that were. It was odd really, as she watched their back and forth messages start to roll in, she didn't think they appeared much different than humans. Though that was the appeal about demons wasn't it? She always had heard they were alluring and conniving, all to sink their claws into unsuspecting prey much like herself.

Grimm wondered if Riley still believed those legends and if maybe.... they had some truth to them.

\----

The rest of the evening dragged on slowly and Grimm could hardly believe they were sat on their couch in New Orleans that morning. Grimm sat in one of the chairs at the table, after having put away her RAD uniform, and flipped through a dusty old book from one of the various bookshelves that littered the room. Riley had long since dozed off, which was rather surprising, considering he wasn't much one for sleep, but Grimm could guess the hectic excitement from the day had worn her brother out.

Grimm shut the book, unable to understand many of the references to the Devildom within it, before she stood and walked over towards the window. She peered out from behind the curtains, her gaze flicking over the distant lights of the city as she frowned.

It reminded her of home, a town that never sleeps, but this was different. Grimm genuinely couldn't tell whether it was day or night, the Devildom in a constant state of darkness and the only way she knew for sure was the clock on her DDD.

It was now late and neither she or Riley had gone down to dinner, something she doubted Lucifer would allow them to do after today. Though it wasn't like she was too hungry despite having little to eat, her stomach currently alive with nerves. Grimm simply couldn't even think about eating, the simple idea made her stomach churn as now she was alone with her thoughts, her mind running wild. Was she making a mistake? Should they fight to go home? What kind of food did they even have here in hell?

Grimm wheezed, but before she could succumb to a full blown panic attack, there was a gentle knock on the door. She whirled around to face the offending sound, heart pounding as it pulled her from her moment. Luckily, whoever was at the door didn't barge in, so she was able to take a breath before settling back down so she could answer as if nothing had been wrong. Grimm trotted over and cracked the door open.

Instantly she was met with a wall of muscle, making her squeak and look up, her green eyes meeting violet. Beelzebub stood there with what appeared to be an empty platter. The two blinked at one another and Grimm's face flushed a light pink.

"I'm here to show you where my room is," he said, expression serious, "if you're still wanting to stay with me."

  
  


"Oh," Grimm said, having nearly forgotten about it, having gotten distracted by everything else. She looked away from the demon to glance back at Riley on the bed. Her brother had seldom moved and she didn't necessarily feel like sleeping on the hardwood floors. She turned back towards Beel with a smile, "sure, lead the way."

He nodded and motioned for her to follow after him to which she did, carefully closing the door behind her before hurrying along. It was quiet as the two walked, Riley's hoodie feeling itchy on Grimm's arms, but it was all she'd have to work with. Not having any pajamas here, she'd just have to sleep in the clothes she wore that day. Something she wasn't exactly thrilled about.

Grimm could manage, having slept in worse before, and it was one of the last things on her mind as the two walked through the empty hallways. She kept note of every twist and turn they made this time, just so she would at least be able to find her way back to her room. Grimm took a moment to glance up at Beel, his purple eyes glowing faintly in the shadowy halls, but with his mouth set into a hard line it was hard to tell what he was thinking.

"Um, thanks for letting me stay with you," Grimm finally spoke after a few unbearable moments, his eyes slowly slid down to look at her. She put on the friendliest smile she could manage despite the air of awkwardness around them, "I hope it's not too much trouble. I'd hate to impose on you."

"It's fine, I'm used to sharing a room," Beel said and left it at that, not really supplying much else. Grimm hummed, her gaze trailing down to the platter Beelzebub still held onto, a brow raising.

"Soo, what's with that?" She motioned to it, noticing the way her words made Beel frown as he glanced down towards the offending object.

"Oh," he mumbled, "I was going to bring more snacks to replace the ones I ate from your bag, but.... I ate them on the way to your room."

They blinked at each other in silence for what must have been the fifth time that day before Grimm broke out into a large grin.

"You sure do eat a lot, huh?" She asked with not an ounce of malice in her words, though Beelzebub still looked uncertain as his frown deepened and he looked away.

"It's because of my sin.... I'm just always hungry, sorry."

Grimm hummed and something about Beel's words transported her back to when she and Riley first arrived in New Orleans, not a penny to their names nor food in their bellies. Hunger was unpleasant, it was painful. She remembered one of the elderly locals taking pity on the two who were just barely old enough to be out on their own by that point, offering the two homeless kids a batch of gumbo so they didn't starve. Riley had denied the kindness back then, just as he was now, but Grimm was happy to meet such lovely people in their new home. Starting over was always hard, but more so when you didn't make any attempts to persuade the locals.

"I could probably cook something for you sometime," Grimm offered the hungry demon and one would think she had shown him the stars with the way his eyes sparkle. "Some good ole' fashioned NOLA cooking, I was taught by the old masters."

She chuckled playfully, because by that she meant the elderly woman that lived in the apartment complex.

"Please do," Beel smiled, "I'll even ask Lucifer to move you up on the schedule he has for dinner duty."

Grimm nodded in agreement, that would be nice, stuff like that came natural to her. It didn't matter if she was in the human world or not.

Eventually they reached Beel's room after the conversation turned into small talk, usually just Grimm making the occasional comment that Beelzebub would answer. He opened the double doors and motioned her inside, to which she hurried along, curious to see what a demon's bedroom might look like. Truthfully, Grimm was wowed much like she had been with her and Riley's room, every room within the house thus far a bizarre masterpiece of architecture. Beel's room was split in two halves, each side being mirrored to one another, the only differences being one side had a sun aesthetic and the other side decorated for the moon.

"I like it," Grimm said, Beel only giving a soft hum to let her know he heard her as he walked towards a couch on one side of the room. He carefully sat the platter down on the coffee table in front of it before sitting down, Grimm followed after him and awkwardly hovered. She didn't really know what else to do in such a situation, not exactly having ever been invited to someone's space before, if you don't count occasionally helping out her neighbors. Plus she didn't know if demons had different customs and didn't want to impose. Beel blinked up at her before nodding his head towards the large bed on the sun side of the room.

"You can sleep in my bed, I'll take the couch," he said to which Grimm frowned, not wanting to make the large demon sleep somewhere that very clearly was too small for him.

"A-Are you sure?" She asked, "I could easily sleep on the couch, I don't mind."

Beelzebub opened his mouth as if to say something, but as a loud rumble sounded out in the room and he snapped his mouth shut. Beel put a hand on his stomach and looked away from Grimm as if pained, Grimm stepped forward as if to help him, but her gaze flicked to the demon's other hand. The one that wasn't clutching his stomach gripped the arm of the couch, his sharpened claws tearing into the thick fabric with ease. Though she wanted to help, Grimm decided it was best for her to back off for now.

Instead, she trotted to Beel's bed and plopped down onto it, finding it incredibly soft. Grimm could almost drown in it, having never seen a bed of this size, but looking towards the enormous demon that inhabited the room, it made sense. She allowed herself to get comfortable, kicking off her shoes before pulling her knees up to hug her legs. Her gaze drifted over towards the bed on the opposite side of Beel's and she wondered why he didn't just take that one.

"So who's bed is this?" She asked, hoping it wouldn't have been too invasive of a question as she turned her sights back towards Beel. The demon looked up as Grimm went on, "you said you share your room?"

"Another one of my brothers," Beel answered with a sure nod, "my twin actually."

"Oh, you're a twin too?" Grimm perked up at the fact, eyes sparkling for she had never met another set of twins before. Beel nodded.

"Only because we were made on the same day," he explained, "we don't look alike like you and your brother."

"I still think that's nice," Grimm sighed as she rested her chin on her knees. "Where is he, if you don't mind my asking?"

"Oh...." Beel ushered and Grimm immediately felt bad for asked. "He got sent to the human world for the exchange program."

"You probably miss him, huh?" Grimm asked with a frown that matched Beel's as the demon nodded, nervously playing with one of his claws. Grimm didn't want to think about what it would have been like for her if Riley wasn't there for this whole ordeal. The human world was a lot different than the Devildom, but it could still be a scary place. She wondered if Beel's twin was having as much of a rough time with it as Grimm herself likely would if she didn't have her own brother.

"I'm actually really glad Riley fell into that portal with me" Grimm sighed, though the words made her heart ping. She wondered if it was a selfish thing to say. "I don't know what I'd do without him here, I'd probably be a lot more freaked out."

There was a moment of silence that went on before Beelzebub smiled, "I think it's nice that you have each other."

Grimm returned the smile, but said no more as the conversation died away. Beel turned away from her and attempted to get more comfortable on the couch, finally detaching his claws from it. Grimm's eyes locked onto the gashes that he had caused, deep and violent, it made her smile vanish but she didn't want to fear Beel because of it. Despite the fact she knew damn well each of the demons within the house had a matching set of claws that could easily do as much damage. She chased the thoughts from her mind. Instead, she focused on the way Beel tried to make himself smaller to better fit on the tiny couch, it made Grimm feel even worse. She glanced at the surrounding bed, the blankets like a sea that could easily swallow up her small body, even if she laid in the middle and stretched out her limbs would not come close to touching the edges.

"Hey, you know the bed is big enough that we both can fit on without even touching," Grimm suggested after a few moments had gone by. Her face flushed at the suggestion though, so she quickly added, "we could even fit some pillows in between us, I just feel really bad about making you sleep on the couch."

Beel twisted around to look at Grimm in surprise, he opened his mouth as if to say something, but thought better of it and snapped his jaws shut. They made a loud clacking sound, the tips of his fangs visible past his lips. Beel's brows knitted together as his stomach growled once again and he looked away, conflicted.

"I won't lie," he spoke up, "I do want to eat you and I've thought about taking a bite."

"Oh."

"But Lucifer would be mad if I did," Beel went on as if suddenly awkward about the situation, Grimm could agree the air definitely had changed, if only slightly. She supposed deep down she knew the thought had probably crossed Beelzebub's mind a couple of times. It was different actually having the fact out in the open, however. Grimm was silent as Beel went on, "and you wouldn't be able to make me some of your human food. Also, you're kind of nice to talk to, my brothers don't always like to listen."

In conclusion, he wanted to eat her but might feel bad about it, which Grimm could appreciate the hesitation.

"Uh, thanks-" Grimm began, but the conversation was cut short as the double doors flew open with a loud bang as they hit the wall. Grimm jumped up with a squeak, her heart pounding fast just as Beel's muscles tensed, the demon baring his fangs with a deep and guttural growl towards the offending intruder.

"Nobody move!" Riley snapped, fists up as he entered the room, ready for a brawl. Grimm let out a breath of air before she tilted her head to the side, wondering how on Earth her brother had gotten there.

"What are you doing?" She asked as Beelzebub eased back into the couch, though his violet eyes still stared Riley down as if he didn't trust the other human in his space. Riley returned the look as he trotted into the room and over towards Grimm. His hair was in disarray.

"I woke up and you were gone," Riley crossed his arms with a frown, "excuse me for thinking you got eaten or something."

Grimm and Beel exchanged a look, but said nothing.

"You know I was going to stay in Beel's room," Grimm said but that only deepened her brother's frown, so she let out a small sigh. "Alright, sorry for worrying you."

That made him deflate, even if only a little bit and again Grimm was reminded of how much this all must have been taking a toll on her brother. She opened up her arms and gave Riley the biggest puppy dog eyes in an act of apology that had the rest of Riley's bite chased away. He sighed and stepped forward to receive his hug, lightly patting Grimm on the back as he did so.

"S'alright I guess," he mumbled before being released, his pink-gaze flicking towards Beel as if daring the demon to comment. Beelzebub knew better, however, and remained silent from his spot on the couch.

"Soooo, how did you even find the room?" Grimm asked, raising a brow, the crimson appearing on Riley's face being instantaneous.

"Well, I just checked every room until I got to this one!" He spat, chest puffed out with pride, but that just made Grimm narrow her eyes as she pictured how he had made his entrance. Riley took note of her scrutiny and his blush deepened, he was quick to look away, scratching the back of his head, "okay so maybe not the brightest idea. That Satan guy wasn't exactly happy about the intrusion, though Asmodeus was a little bit TOO excited."

Riley stuck his tongue out as if the memory sickened him.

"Oh Riley," Grimm shook her head, "you're going to get into trouble if you keep doing that."

"I'll be fine," he was quick to wave her off, but it did nothing to soothe Grimm's nerves.

"Sorry to interrupt," Beel suddenly spoke up, not even flinching as Riley sent a glare his way. "But we have classes at RAD tomorrow and Lucifer isn't going to be happy if we don't go to bed soon."

"Pff, I'm an adult, he can't tell me what to do-" Riley grumbled before receiving a quick elbow to the side by Grimm to silence him.

"Ah, sorry Beel, we'll settle down," she said as Riley rubbed his ribs, "you sure you don't want to sleep over here?"

Riley shot Grimm a sharp look, that she proceeded to ignore as Beelzebub gave a firm nod. There would be no changing his mind on the matter and so Grimm would respect that. She returned the nod before looking back to Riley.

“Are you going to go back to our room or-" Grimm began but at the flash of fear in her brother's eyes, she dropped it. Instead, Grimm scooted over and patted the bed beside her and without another word Riley clambered up. In all honesty, Grimm couldn't remember not sleeping in the same room as her brother in a long time and felt safer knowing he were nearby. She was sure the feeling was mutual.

Riley plopped down with a weary sigh, but he didn't sleep, eyes wide open as the magical candles that gave the room light began to dim. Grimm yawned as she allowed herself to stretch out, the bed being big enough for her to do so. Her bed back home was suitable, but seeing that it was just a twin-sized mattress on the floor, it certainly paled in comparison. Grimm could already feel herself succumbing to sleep.

"Goodnight, Riley," she mumbled under her breath as her eyes slid shut.

"Gnight."

"Oh," she said before blinking her eyes open towards where she knew the couch was but couldn't see from this angle. "Goodnight to you too, Beel!"

There was silence for a heartbeat until a quiet, "goodnight Grimm and Riley" met her ears, allowing a smile to pull at her lips before the world around her grew dark once more.

Thus ending their first night in the Devildom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, I've also drawn a cover for this fic that you can check out on my tumblr here: https://sirrileyplays.tumblr.com/post/636169251748708352/cover-i-drew-for-my-fanfic
> 
> Or if you're more into Twitter these days, you can check it out on my Twitter here: https://twitter.com/CallMeRexy/status/1333213059997896706?s=20


	3. Chapter 3

_ It was pitch black in her room, the only light being from the moon that managed to slip through the crack of the curtains along with the nightstand alarm clock that let her know it was about three in the morning. The witching hour. Her eyes were heavy from a deep sleep and yet something had awoken her, she whined and buried her face deeper into her pillow. The motion of it served to make a particular spot above her eyebrow burn, she grimaced and ran her fingers over the wound; it was scabbing but still fresh. Wait, that wasn't right. _

_ The thing that woke her up, shook her again. _

_ A familiar voice ushered a familiar name she hadn't heard in many years, it sent shivers down her spine and twisted her gut. She looked towards the source of the sound and blinked in surprise. _

_ "Riley?" She asked upon seeing her twin brother hover over her sleeping form, except he didn't look the same as he did now. This Riley had shorter hair, slicked back and not yet tousled by sleep, a sign that he had still been up for hours now. His eyes were also.... dark, void of the wild spark she had long since grown used to. He gave her a confused look, as if the name hadn't registered with him. _

_ Something was wrong, but before she had the chance to question what it was, Riley practically shoved her out of bed. _

_ "G-Get your shoes on we're leaving!" His voice quaky, so unlike him, and he seemed.... scared? She frowned, where were they going? It was so late. "Just hurry, we have to go!" _

_ Still she hesitated, her heart picking up its pace as she was unable to move, her sleep addled mind swam with a million and one possibilities. Was the house on fire? Did something happen to their parents? The questions were ripped from her mind as a loud thump sounded out from the hallway and she froze, fearful that it was their father, coming to see what the commotion was and surely he would be angered to catch the two of them. Grimm looked towards the opened door, eyes wide, just in time to see the tip of a fluffy tail zip by, which only served to confuse her further. Cleo? No, it was too large to be a cat and.... they didn't have any pets in that house, aside from the snakes their father used. _

_ Once more Riley pulled on her in an attempt to get her moving, bringing her attention back. Her brother ran to her bedroom door, stopping just short of it to look at her. He had a bag in his hand. _

"Grimm!"

With a yelp, she snapped awake and jolted upward, her head colliding right into Riley's.

"Gah!" Her brother clutched at his forehead with a loud whine as Grimm looked around the room, oh right, they were in the Devildom now and had slept in Beelzebub's room last night. Grimm took in a deep breath to steady herself, the dream from last night quickly fading from her memory though her hands still shook from whatever it had been about. She rubbed her hands together as she looked up at Riley, the same Riley she knew and loved, with his wild eyes and equally wild hair hung in a fringe over his face.

"Sorry," she said with an apologetic smile as she finally felt stable enough to release her hands from their death grip on each other. She instead rubbed at her own forehead, her fingers lightly brushing the old scar above her right eyebrow.

"Don't worry about it," Riley shrugged it off with a gentle smile. He had bags under his eyes, because some things truly never change. "Anyway, good morning, we survived the night."

Grimm playfully rolled her eyes at Riley's dramatics before she glanced over towards the couch, which was now void of anyone.

"Where's Beelzebub?" She asked to which Riley crossed his arms and jutted out his lip, clearly still not wanting anything to do with demons or hell.

"He hurried out of here earlier," Riley shrugged, "said something about getting some pre-breakfast breakfast, or something like that."

Ah that made sense, the Avatar of Gluttony was probably starved. Grimm thought back to their previous conversation last night and found herself proud that he hadn't taken a bite of her or Riley while they slept.

"So, what now?" Riley asked, brows knit together as he desperately tried to grasp a hold of some semblance of control. Grimm yawned and stretched out her limbs as she tried to wrack her brain for something to say. In all honesty, she hadn't a clue what their next step was. Well, not until she heard a small ding as her D.D.D. sounded off. Blinking, Grimm fetched it from her pocket to see a single message from Lucifer.

She opened it up right away.

**Lucifer:** _Change into your uniform and come to the dining hall for breakfast. Your first class at RAD starts in three hours. I will be sending you your schedule and a map of the Academy, though you'll be expected to memorize it just like the house's layout._

Behind Grimm, Riley made a gagging noise as he read over her shoulder. She quickly shooed him away as she responded to Lucifer with a quick 'okay, thank-you!' to let him know she had seen the message and understood it. After that she tossed her legs over the side of the bed and clambered out of it.

"Well, I guess I know what we're doing today now," Grimm said as she walked around Riley towards the double doors, he was quick to follow. "Let's hurry back to the room so I can get on my uniform. Do you remember the way?"

"I think I do," Riley replied as they walked into the hallway, then he hummed "wonder if I'm going to get a fancy outfit too."

"Would you actually wear it?" Grimm asked with a small laugh, though she already knew the answer.

"Hell no!"

With that the two eventually made it back to their room, it was mainly a straight shot so they didn't have to worry much. They did, however, pass by many rooms, of which, Grimm assumed were also bedrooms. Her and Riley were in the thick of it all and the realization that they were literally surrounded began to sink in. She thought again of Beelzebub and couldn't help but wonder if the others wanted to eat them as well. Grimm decided not to mention this detail to Riley, she didn't think he would be able to handle it. The bags under his eyes were evident enough, they were so much darker than usual as he leaned up against their door to blink some moisture back into his eyes before walking into the room.

Upon entering, the two of them froze.

The room hadn't been ransacked, per say, but someone had certainly gone through it, the drawers and books all in disarray. If they had belongings they might have both felt more panicked instead of just mildly irritated. Riley snapped his gaze towards the bed, where SOMEONE was very obviously sticking their head under it as if looking for something. Without another word, Riley marched right over and before Grimm could say anything or stop him, he roughly kicked the rear of whoever had decided to invade their personal space.

"Hey, what gives?!" Said interloper spat out as he pulled himself out from under the bed, revealing he was yet another demon, this one with dark skin and white hair. The demon dusted off his pants and sent a glare towards Riley as if the human were the reason he was in that predicament. "Is that how ya introduce yourself? Humans are so rude."

"Ah okay then," Riley sneered and Grimm knew this wasn't going to end well. "Hello, I'm Riley, why are you in our room?"

The demon rose a brow at Riley's wording before his gaze flicked over towards Grimm, his movements fast yet short, finally noticing her in the room as well. "Eh? I thought there was only supposed to be one of you?"

"There was a mix up," Riley crossed his arms over his chest, not in the mood to deal with any demon antics this early in the morning. Grimm couldn't blame Riley for his sass, the dark eye-bags being an indicator they were gonna receive a grumpy Riley today.

"No shit?" The demon asked with an amused smirk before he let out a hardy laugh, "Hah! Bet Lucifer was pissed. Wish I could've seen it."

Riley just deepened his glare, not at all in the mood for this, before he motioned towards the wrecked room around them to stay on topic. The demon followed Riley's gaze before clearing his throat and looking away.

"I was just makin' sure all your needs were met," the demon shrugged it off as if he didn't care an ounce. "Out of the kindness of my heart, ya know?"

"Um, thanks?" Grimm said, nose wrinkled in scrutiny as she didn't quite buy this demon's words either. Something about the way his eyes glowered and how his movements were almost birdlike. Very unlike the rest of the demons Grimm had met so far.

"You're welcome," the demon grinned, jabbing a proud thumb into his chest, "it's my pleasure as the great Mammon."

Riley let out a hum as if he were going over the demon's words, a deep frown still on his face as he clearly broadcast his distrust. Meanwhile, Grimm latched onto the demon's name. Mammon? Where had she seen that name before? She wracked her brain for the answer until it finally clicked a few seconds later.

"Oh, you're Mammon?" Grimm spoke up in an attempt to lighten the air between him and her brother, "I saw your name in my phone but we haven't officially met."

"It's no surprise you've heard of me," Mammon laughed before doing a once over on Grimm, "I can't say the same for ya, though."

She didn't like his eyes on her, but put on a smile none-the-less, "I'm Grimm and this is my twin brother."

"Bitch," Riley said under his breath as he continued to stare down Mammon, but Grimm was having none of that and was quick to hush him. Mammon, whether or not he actually heard Riley's comment, ignored him to instead grin at Grimm.

"Grimm!" He squawked with a laugh, nose up in the air, "ya don't look like any grimm I've ever seen."

Grimm frowned and from the corner of her eye she could see Riley visibly bristle as the demon's comment. Oh no. As discreetly as she could, Grimm linked arms with Riley to hold him back should he try to start something with this demon. She wasn't exactly in the mood for a fight and wasn't too sure if Riley would come out unscathed. The demon didn't look like much, being a lot shorter than most of the ones she had seen, but he still had a slyness to his gaze that she didn't trust.

"Got a problem with my sister's name?" Riley asked to which the demon rolled his eyes and shrugged, probably over the topic of Grimm's peculiar name already. Oh she could just sigh as she thought back to the brief meeting they had with Diavolo and the others the previous day. Grimm and the demon prince had both playfully laughed over the fact that her name was the same as the Devildom's currency. A coincidence, of course, as Grimm had gotten the name idea from The Brothers Grimm many years ago. She adored her name and it being the same as the currency wasn't going to change that, in fact it only made her love it more.

"Speaking of grimm and such," Mammon suddenly spoke up, unknowing of Grimm's current thoughts as he took a small step towards her. "Ya ain't got any do ya? I'm a bit short at the moment-"

"Aha!" Riley spat, making both Grimm and Mammon flinch back as he leaped between them. Determined to keep his sister as far away from any demons he could Riley stood right up to Mammon, practically bumping the other's chest. "I knew it, you were just looking to steal from us weren't you!"

"Grr, pretty bold for a human aren't ya?" Mammon growled, his playful demeanor seemingly slipping away as he bared his fangs, none so keen on having Riley so close to him. "So what if I was, I'm the Avatar of Greed, what's a little grimm between pals?"

"Well, we don't have anything so scram," Riley snapped, completely ready to try and manhandle this demon out of their room. However, Mammon just looked amused at the human's attempts.

"What a shame," Mammon shrugged, but his uncaring attitude soon turned into a smirk, "though I wonder what I could get for a couple a' humans fresh outta the human world?"

"I'll freaking kick you again," Riley said at the same time Grimm tightened her hold on her brother's arm, sending her own glare towards the demon. Mammon didn't appear all too bothered until Riley lifted his foot, completely ready to deal damage.

"Alright, geez, can't handle a joke?" Mammon asked with his palms raised in surrender, but then Riley stomped his foot down as if to challenge him. Finally Mammon backed off and started inching towards the door. "Okay, okay, I'm going. Ugh, I can't believe we're stuck with you two for a year."

And with that he was gone out the room and twins allowed themselves to breath sighs of relief, though Riley still appeared frazzled by the encounter. He turned towards Grimm looking utterly annoyed.

"You believe the nerve of that guy?" Riley asked with a roll of his eyes. "Careful around that one, Grimm, I don't trust him."

"I guess," Grimm trailed off. It made her feel bad to judge Mammon so quickly, though he certainly didn't make the greatest first impression by trying to steal their stuff. She was just lucky they didn't have any of their things there. She frowned at the thought. While it was good they couldn't be robbed, she wished they at least had a change of clothes. Riley took note of the way Grimm's frown deepened and her brows pinched together, before he cleared his throat and motioned towards the uniform that luckily laid untouched on the table.

"You better hurry and get changed," he said as a welcomed subject change. "I'm sure they're still waiting on us downstairs."

Grimm nodded and hurried off into the room's connected bathroom with her uniform, though it must have taken her another twenty minutes in order to figure out the complicated outfit. From the other side of the door, Riley waited around, lightly scuffing up the floor in boredom until he heard a startled gasp from Grimm. That had his attention as he spun around to face the door about to call out to see if she was alright, but he was cut off as she opened the door and stepped out. She now wore her uniform and it looked to be her exact size, which Riley didn't want to think about how exactly they knew that information, and he didn't comment on it as Grimm beamed.

"Look, Riley!" She did an excited twirl as she entered the bedroom, "they got me a uniform with a skirt!"

Riley could have easily been a downer in that moment, but seeing as Grimm appeared to be genuinely excited by the fact, he chose to remain silent on the matter. Instead Riley returned the smile, "of course, only the best for MY sister."

Grimm laughed before giving a tiny frown, "oh, but do you think it looks fine?"

Riley gave a firm and sure nod, which was all Grimm needed to be in good spirits again. The two of them finally hurried down to the dining area, using their vague memory of last night to get back to the house's entrance. Once there, they used process of elimination to find their way into the massive dining room, and only got lost and turned around like twice or so. Upon entering the room, there were instantly six pairs of eyes locked onto them, sending instinctual shivers down the two human's spines. One of those eyes, being Mammon, took one glance towards them before looking away.

"G-Good morning," Grimm stammered out with a tiny wave as she greeted the demons, most of which were already going back to what they were doing. She noted another demon she hadn't met yet, one with lilac hair that had his back to her, his eyes glued to his D.D.D. On the opposite side of the long table, towards the end, sat Beelzebub surrounded by empty plates. He was the only one to return Grimm's wave, a small smile on his face.

"Good morning sweetheart," Asmodeus purred from his own seat, giving Grimm a once over that had Riley glaring. "You clean up nice, hmm?"

Grimm floundered for a response to Asmo's comment, before Lucifer spoke up, his level voice demanding attention from the room. "It's nice of you to finally join us."

"S-Sorry sir, we got a bit turned around," Grimm stated with a look towards Mammon before returning back to Lucifer. He took both of them in, eyes narrowed, but Grimm could tell by way he leaned back in his chair at the head of the table that he was unbothered by the fact.

"I'll have one of my brothers give you a proper tour later," he said, motioning towards the table "but for now, hurry up and eat so we may leave for the academy."

Grimm nodded and did just that, taking the seat next to Beel, the action made the rest of the demons at the table tense as they watched the two wearily. The human decided to ignore them as she instead chose to make small talk with the large demon beside her, even if he wasn't too talkative. Meanwhile Riley had different plans as he remained firm in the spot he stood. He crossed his arms and jutted out his lip as he turned to face Lucifer.

"Yea, about the whole Academy thing," Riley spoke up and as he did so, the idle chatter within the room died away and all eyes were once again on him. Grimm bit her lip and prayed (as ironic as that is) that her brother didn't do anything stupid. "Do I get a uniform too or am I just gonna wear these clothes I've had on since yesterday."

Across the table from Grimm, Asmodeus gagged.

"Also, do I get a phone," Riley went on, ignoring how everyone's eyes flicked between him and Lucifer, "I've just kind of been dropped here and left to my own devices."

"Well since you weren't supposed to be here, we had nothing prepared," Lucifer responded, the smallest of frowns on his lips as if Riley's boldness was undesired. "I've been working since we got back last night on all of YOUR extra paperwork to have you enrolled in a timely manner. Unfortunately we can't just send you off yet, so you'll have to wait, but don't worry everything will be taken care of."

Riley's eyes remained narrowed and fixated on Lucifer, the demon's unnaturally fluid movements unsettling to his eyes as he let out a contemplative hum.

"Speaking of which," Lucifer went on as he sat up straight, "I've decided to assign a couple of my brothers to you and your sister to make sure you're properly watched over during your time here. It'd truly be tragic if you were to be eaten by a lower level demon, now wouldn't it."

Riley could tell the comment was aimed at him and wasn't at all genuine as Lucifer took him within his crimson irises. Meanwhile, most of the demon brothers began to look around at one another, as though anxious, none of them wanting to have to babysit their residential humans. Though Beelzebub did appear rather intrigued.

"Initially I was going to assign Mammon to do it-" Lucifer began as Mammon let out a loud and surprised 'EH?' before the eldest brother continued with what he had to say. "But I wouldn't trust him with TWO humans, so he'll just be your guardian, Riley."

"EH?!" Both Mammon and Riley gasped in unison, whipping around to stare at one another, the former even jumping up from his seat.

"B-But, big bro, that human bullied me!" The demon of Greed cried out, "I'd rather sell him to Satan for a corn chip!"

"I don't want him."

"You probably deserved it," Lucifer sighed, exasperated, as he rubbed his temple as if a headache were coming on before he continued with the task at hand. "But I certainly wouldn't entrust Grimm to you. She seems far too.... gullible."

Grimm blinked and looked up from where she was currently picking at her plate, unsure of what the food on it actually was. Lucifer looked towards her and grinned.

"Fear not, Grimm," he spoke out, his gaze trailing over each of his brothers before finally landing on the purple haired demon.

"I've thought well over which of my brothers would be a good fit to watch over you and have decided to give the job to Leviathan."

Asmodeus let out a gasp, quickly took a drink of whatever was in his cup and then proceeded to spit it out in shock. The water from it sprayed all over the book Satan was reading, however the blond demon was too focused staring at their eldest brother as if he had grown another head. 

On the other hand, not far away from them, Beelzebub frowned looking almost.... disappointed?

The purple-haired demon, Leviathan, blinked and looked up from his phone as if he had only been paying half-attention, "wha?"

He stammered before turning his head to look at Grimm, his movements slow and languid, very much unlike the quick jerky motions of Mammon. Grimm and Levi's eyes met for the first time, green on gold with hints of purple, his pupils were slits like a cat or.... more like a snake. They sent shivers down the human's spine and yet, she couldn't deny that she thought them to be pretty.

"But Lucifer, I can't watch over some normie!" Levi whined as soon as he broke eye-contact with Grimm, turning towards his older brother with a grimace. Grimm returned the expression, pff, a normie? Really? Grimm didn't think that was a good word to describe her. Beside her, Satan chuckled.

"I think Lucifer is becoming senile in his old age," he whispered under his breath as his blue-green eyes remained locked on the current situation unfolding.

"My decisions are final, so you better start becoming acquainted with one another," Lucifer motioned with a single gloved hand as if that would bring the humans and demons together. Afterwards he let out a sigh and finally stood, walking around the table,

"Mammon, you'll escort Riley to the human world today so he may get some of his and Grimm's belongings."

Riley's eyes were the definition of 'if looks could kill' as Lucifer approached him, an amused smile gracing his features. He leaned forward ever so slightly to be more at the human's height level.

"See?" He asked, voice low enough to where only Riley could hear, "I can be quite giving when I want to be."

Riley scoffed at that and was quick to turn away, so it would appear the eldest demon had easily read the other. It grated on Riley's nerves, he didn't like being such an open book.

"Well why didn't you say so!" Mammon said in response to Lucifer as he leaped up from his own seat, hurrying around the table with a new found excitement. "Come on Riley let's get going to the human world!"

That was.... suspicious. Riley narrowed his eyes and looked from Mammon to Lucifer, "you're not just going to ditch me there are you?"

"Please," Lucifer rolled his eyes as he pulled out his D.D.D. to check something on it, this conversation minuscule to him in the grand scheme of things. "You may be of no importance to me, but I promised Diavolo to have Grimm's needs met and if that means having you here then so be it."

Riley clenched his fists, his nails digging into the palms of his hands as a white hot anger bubbled under his skin. He opened his mouth as if to snap out a sharp retort, but it ended up being a yelp as Mammon roughly stepped on his foot to silence him. Riley shot a glare in his direction that the white haired demon was quick to return.

"Come along Grimm, I'll see you to your first class," Lucifer said as he walked towards the dining room's entrance, choosing to ignore the exchange between his brother and the other human.

"Oh! Um," Grimm jumped up from her seat, sparing a glance towards Leviathan, but the demon assigned to her was back onto his phone. He didn't look happy as his shoulders hunched and he hid those eyes of his behind long purple bangs. Frowning, Grimm skittered around the table to stop beside Riley. She glanced between the door, where Lucifer was no doubt waiting, and her brother knowing she likely didn't have much time. "Be careful, okay?"

"I should say that to you," Riley said, voice low and he didn't like the thought of leaving Grimm without him in the Devildom for a few hours. It made the hair on the back of his neck stand. "I'll try to be as quick as I can at home, what do you want me to grab?"

"Couple change of clothes, and anything we own that might be considered valuable," Grimm said with a quick weary glance towards Mammon. "I don't like the thought of leaving it in the apartment for a year. Oh! Ask one of the neighbors to feed Cleo if you have the time to."

Riley nodded, making a mental note of all the things he'd grab, before Grimm pulled him in for a tight hug. He was quick to return it, though it only lasted a second before Grimm had to hurry after Lucifer, vanishing behind the dining room doors. Riley waved farewell though he knew she didn't see him.

Grimm was quick to catch up with Lucifer at the front door, so much so she suspected he may have been waiting for her. He only gave her a glance before continuing on his way, Grimm followed as they walked out into the yard, a silence so awkward around them that it made Grimm feel itchy. She frowned and thought back to Mammon and Levi, the two demons that were given the unfortunate task of human-sitting.

"Soo," Grimm broke the silence, her own quiet voice sounding near booming in the morning Devildom air. "That was kind of.... harsh...."

Lucifer turned his gaze onto her, his gray eyes glinting their red shine.

"I'm a demon, Grimm," he said, tone serious, "you shouldn't forget the fact that all of us are."

\----

Thus Riley found himself near another portal, this one swirled proudly in front of him rather than forming right under his sister's feet. He still didn't trust it, even if it was supposed to take him back to the human world, he didn't trust leaving Grimm in a whole other realm by herself. What if they were lying to him, if LUCIFER had lied? Especially if he was, you know, THAT Lucifer, Riley didn't get why he should be expected to just go along with whatever these demons said. Maybe living in the same clothes for a year wouldn't be too bad.... but then again, there was also poor little Cleo left all alone in their cold dark apartment. Except that it wasn't cold since they lived in New Orleans and if the air conditioning wasn't on in their room, then Cleo might actually be in trouble. Riley prepared to take a step into the portal.

"Come on, hurry up," Mammon whined behind him, annoyed he was stuck with the human despite being excited to go to his world. Riley stepped backwards in spite.

"The portal will be up for a few hours," Barbatos said, having met up with them so he could monitor their trip. Riley wasn't sure if it was to keep an eye on him or on Mammon. "So don't feel rushed, but please don't take all day."

"Yea, alright," Riley said as he scuffed his foot across the concrete, wondering if he should just go or what. He glanced at Barbatos who stood there expectantly, the butler's blank face unnerving to him. "Well thanks I guess, Barb.... Can I call you Barb?"

"No," Barbatos smiled and with that, Mammon got fed up with waiting and shoved Riley into the portal, jumping in shortly after him. Riley yelped as he was overcome with the same dizzy sensation, almost to the point of blacking out, though as he was expecting it he managed to keep awake. In no time, Riley opened his eyes to find he was in his living room, laying sprawled out right on top of the scorch mark in the floor. It was odd really, the room lay completely untouched from where he and Grimm had left it yesterday, and he could almost think he had dreamed up the whole situation. He probably would have assumed that, had it not been for Grimm's absence and the portal behind him.

"Damn, ya live like this?" Mammon asked, his voice breaking Riley out of his thoughts. Oh yea, there was a demon in his living room, that was evidence enough that he had gone to hell and back. Literally.

"Shut up," Riley growled as he pulled himself up onto his feet, having to steady himself as he teetered back and forth. "I'm not gonna be judged by a guy that lives in a literal haunted mansion."

"Whatever-" Mammon began just as he was cut off by a loud caterwaul, the demon jumping back as Cleo leaped from the shadows towards the two. Riley immediately perked up, stooping down to snatch her up into his arms, hugging her close.

"Ohh, Cleo, did you miss me?" He cooed to the feline, "I'm sorry, it must have been so scary."

"Cat people are so weird," Mammon muttered as he reached forward with a finger to poke at Cleo's nose. The cat was having absolutely none of that as she drew her ears back with a hiss and swatted at the offending hand with a stubby leg. Mammon growled as he snatched his hand away, sending a glare Cleo's way, "Satan would like you."

Riley chuckled at the demon's distress as he ran his fingers through his cat's fluffy fur, "good girl! You're such a good guard cat, not gonna let those smelly demons hurt me."

"Ugh, can you just hurry up and get your stuff?" Mammon asked, hands on his hips, not bothering to hide his annoyance, "I got stuff I wanna do before we have to go back."

Riley narrowed his eyes, but decided to go along with it for now, the sooner he got done, the sooner he'd be able to go back to the Devildom. Not something he ever thought he'd be say, but he had to make sure his sister was safe. That's all that mattered now, just like when they first left home all those years ago.

"Yea, alright," Riley grumbled as he set Cleo back down on the floor, the cat purring all the while. Then, without looking at Mammon, Riley grabbed a hold of the demon's arm to pull him into the bedroom he shared with Grimm.

"Hey, what gives?!" Mammon snapped, "ya need me to do everything?!"

"Well, I sure as hell don't trust you to be alone!" Riley retorted right back as he deposited Mammon into the corner of the room, "just stay there and don't touch anything. I'm gonna pack."

With that, against his better judgement, Riley left Mammon alone with his own devices as he whirled around and headed to the closet. Digging under the unneeded junk items he and Grimm had shoved in there, Riley found his tattered old backpack from several years ago. He hadn't seen the thing since.... Riley smiled as his fingers ran over the old fabric, he could still see Grimm using it as a pillow on the bus as Riley stayed awake to keep an eye on their surroundings. He was practically still a child back then, and full of fear of the unknown.

The thoughts were cut short as the squeaky sound of hinges in need of oiling met Riley's ears, he snapped his eyes in the direction of the nightstand he shared with Grimm. Sure enough, Mammon rummaged through it.

"Hey I said not to touch anything!" Riley snapped, and this ancient thousands of years old demon had the audacity to stick his tongue out at him. Riley returned the gesture and he was sure if Grimm were there she would have called them literal children.

"I'm just helpin' ya," Mammon lied as he turned back to the task at hand. "Though I'm surprised you're into those weird comic books like my bro Levi, ya don't seem like the type."

"T-They're my sister's," Riley said, feeling his face flush, it wasn't technically a lie since Grimm preferred reading manga a lot more, but as with many things in their life they tended to share. Riley just hoped Mammon was too dense to notice the content of some of those manga, particularly the more risque ones towards the bottom.

"Hah, maybe Lucifer was right to assign Levi to your sister then," Mammon said, eyes sparkling as he clearly found something of interest to him. "Don't tell im' I said that though."

Yea, Riley didn't think he was about to willingly have a conversation with the oldest demon, if he could help it. He wasn't at all a fan of the type of man Lucifer was, just thinking about him grated on Riley's nerves. Reminded him of.... A less happy time. Riley grimaced and almost missed Mammon pocketing a twenty he found from the nightstand drawer.

"Hey!"

"What?! Your gonna be in the Devildom all year," Mammon said without so much as looking over at Riley. "Ya not gonna need it."

"Then why do YOU need it?" Riley grumbled, but he let it go, knowing he wasn't going to get anywhere with Mammon. Instead, he turned back to the task at hand, opening up the backpack to see that it was already packed with the essentials. Riley wasn't as dumb as he let on, he wanted to make sure that if they had to leave town in a hurry, they'd be able to. The bag had all their necessary toiletries and about a week's worth of clothes, tightly wrapped up to conserve as much space as possible, considering it was the only bag they had for the both of them. Most of their clothes were in Riley's size so they could share and save on money. Grimm's idea and not Riley's, he would want nothing more than to buy his sister anything she wanted.

At that thought, Riley hurried over towards Grimm's bed and pulled the cover off of the corner where an aging plushy of a hedgehog was securely hidden away. Grimm was a bit insecure about sleeping with it in the hardest nights, though Riley would never had judged her for it. He carefully gathered up the old thing, remembering how his sister's eyes had lit up when he surprised her with it. He thought that perhaps that was the fist time he actually saw her smile.

"Aren't ya too old for toys?" Mammon asked, sitting back on Riley's bed as if bored now that he had found what he was looking for. It brought Riley amusement that the Avatar of Greed would be sorely disappointed by the fact the human twin's didn't have a lot. Riley shot a silencing glare towards the demon before walking back to the bag and carefully setting the hedgehog on top of the other items. When you didn't have much of a childhood to begin with, you made do, and he would make sure Grimm could have any experience she missed out on.

Riley was different though, he could care less about any childhood activity he didn't get to live through, because even though it was hell he enjoyed his adult life. He thought back to the club and how much he was going to miss the few friends he had made in his nightlife. Riley just hoped they wouldn't notice him missing for a year, he wouldn't know how to explain it when he got back. 'If you get back.' Riley had to chase the thought away.

"Are ya almost done?" Mammon whined from where he was laying back in Riley's bed, funnily enough not being the first man to do so, but definitely the most annoying in the human's opinion.

"Yea, there's just a couple things in the living-room," Riley said, which got Mammon to leap up immediately, following the human into the other room like a lost puppy. Riley tried to ignore the demon as he made his way over to the entertainment center across from the couch. Cleo laid on one of the cushions watching wearily as Mammon sidled up right next to her human to nosy through more of their belongings. Riley glanced at Mammon and grumbled as the demon proceeded to open up a cupboard, not at all modest about the fact he was looking to steal from this poor unsuspecting human. Except said human 100% expected it.

"Ohh~" Mammon said as he pulled out the twins' handheld gaming console, Riley immediately snatched it out of his hands, for it had been the exact item he was looking for.

"I don't think so Greed-boy," he spat with half a mind to bap Mammon on the head with the gaming system. The fear of breaking it being the only thing to stop him from doing so. Mammon grumbled as Riley shoved the console into his bag, nestling it safely next to Grimm's plush hedgehog. The gaming system had been an expense that took the both of them months to save up for, Riley wasn't about to let this demon get his grubby hands on it. He'd have to hide it well when they got back to the House of Lamentation.

With that his bag was as full as could be, so he zipped it up and slung it over his shoulders. With that done, he closed the cupboard door before Mammon could go through anymore of their things and grabbed a hold of the black instrument case resting untouched against the entertainment center. Was Riley any good at playing the saxophone, arguably he could be better, but he wasn't about to leave it there to be stolen by anyone that got curious about the barren apartment. He got it secondhand, but it meant a lot to him as a symbol of the kindness he and his sister had been shown upon first coming to the city. Plus, what was New Orleans without a little music.

With that, Riley decided he had all that they could get.

"Alright, I think I'm done here," he announced to Mammon, the demon giving a victorious grin.

"Finally, now how about ya show me to some suckers we can swindle?" Mammon said as if he were asking about the weather, the most falsely sweet features on his face. Riley grimaced, as the demon turned towards the door.

"What, you want to steal from the people of New Orleans?" Riley asked, a single brow raised.

"Well when ya put it that way, it sounds bad!" Mammon shrugged as though he didn't really care and that grated on Riley's nerves. Against his better judgement he approached the demon.

"Nah dude," Riley said as he lifted up his foot and used it to roughly shove Mammon, the demon letting out a yelp as he was quite literally kicked back into the portal. Riley smiled, the sight bringing a chuckle out of him as he turned to head in after Mammon, when suddenly a small meow stopped him in his tracks. He turned to look down at Cleo, the small cat staring up at him with wide-curious eyes. Oh yea, he had to go find someone to take care of her. Cleo approached him and rubbed up against his legs, likely hungry and asking Riley to put some food into her bowl. Poor thing didn't understand anything that was going on. Would she even remember them after a year?

Riley bit his lip and in a lapse of judgement he looked between Cleo and the portal.

\----

Grimm's first couple of classes that day had gone.... about as well as she had assumed. There were normal classes, like math, that were to be expected though she was not at all excited about. Grimm actually did look forward to History of the Devildom so she could learn more about this new world around her, but then there were ones she was the most excited about. Especially the classes involving magic, while she wasn't a magic user like the demons that resided in and around the school, the thought of learning about it was exciting to her. Speaking of which....

Throughout the day she had come into contact with various.... demons, more so than she cared to, especially since they were far different than the ones she and Riley were staying with. Some of them were humanoid, of course, but they didn't bother hiding away their horns, wings, or tails as they stalked through the halls, lashing them about or gnashing their fangs together. Other demons were less than human and came in all different shapes and sizes, making Grimm's head spin, and to make matters worse a majority of them towered over her. She was just a tiny human surrounded by powerful beings that could easily harm her if they so wished it, not to mention how much more.... physical, demons were than what she was used to with humans.

During Grimm's short time at the school thus far, she had witnessed demons butting horns, brushing spikes up against one another, and even a couple preening. However, whether these various actions were friendly or not, she couldn't tell at all. Just a few minutes ago as she got out of her previous class, she had seen two demons bite at each other's throats before laughing it off and walking away together as though it was just a greeting between friends. Whenever that happened, Grimm would just have to avert her eyes and scamper away, before she was noticed staring. It was odd to her. She was used to being able to blend in so easily in the human world, if she didn't want attention, she could easily hide away from it, but when you were one of the only humans in a world of demons, that managed to turn heads.

More than once since Lucifer left her with a promise she would be safe to wander RAD's grounds by herself, a lesser demon had decided to approach her. The first time Grimm had nearly jumped out of her skin as an enormous dragon-like beast with charred skin hunkered over her with a gaping maw, it's claws scraping the floor.

"May I help you?" Grimm glared, feeling threatened, just as the demon got close enough to sniff her, its nose wrinkling as it was met with the scent of Diavolo coming off the scarf she wore. With that the demon yelped as if frightened before scampering away, allowing Grimm to let out a breath with shaky knees. It was going to be a long year, but Grimm hoped when Riley started classes it would be easier. At the thought, Grimm pulled out her D.D.D. and checked her schedule and accompanying map again, she hoped the two of them would have the same classes. Half because Riley's presence was a great comfort, and half because she didn't trust him to be alone with so many demons about. The last thing she needed was him being RILEY once again and accidentally getting into a fight. Grimm was just glad the demon brothers just kind of brushed Riley's antics off as something beneath them. Bad for Riley's pride, but good in the fact he wouldn't get hurt.

Either way, Grimm had managed to survive the day without Riley there as she made her way through the complex twisting hallways towards her next class. She looked forward to this one, as it was a class specifically made for the exchange program and would only have non-demon students within it, "Devildom Customs 101". Which was explained to her as basically a "what not to do while you're in hell" and "how not to piss off a demon" kind of class. Something that was very needed, she was even going to take notes so she could share them with Riley later on.

She stepped up to the door of the classroom it was being held in, curiously peering through the window. There she could see two of the exchange students already, sitting at one of the desks and chatting amicably. Since there were only four (five if you counted Riley) exchange students, it was going to be a small class. Three humans and two.... Grimm examined the people in the classroom from a safe distance, one dark-skinned man and what appeared to be a literal child. There was something ethereal about them, especially the way the man held himself, pleasant smile on his face, and Grimm could have swore if she squinted there was the faintest glow of light surrounding the crown of his head.

"Angels," Grimm murmured as she sat her palm on the doorknob. She wanted to enter, but having been so overwhelmed by demons, she didn't know if she could handle meeting yet another being she thought were only myth and legends. Not to mention the fact they were literal ANGELS from the Celestial Realm. Grimm's head spun at the information.

"You lost?" A smooth voice asked from right behind Grimm, practically making her jump out of her skin. She whirled around to come face to face with a man that had silvery-white hair. He gave a Cheshire grin as Grimm waited for her pounding heart to ease.

"No, I'm fine," Grimm responded as the man gave her a once over as though sizing her up much like many of the demons around here did. She took a weary step backwards towards the door. It was then that another set of arms wrapped their way around the man's waist, a familiar head popping out from behind him.

"She's my side-human~" Asmodeus purred at the sight of her, getting Grimm's face to flush with the slightest hint of pink. The man Asmo hung onto looked rather amused, a look that frazzled Grimm's nerves.

"So you're my counter-part in this exchange program then," he said and suddenly it made sense to Grimm that this was the other human at RAD. It made her ease up, though there was still something about him that was unsettling, but maybe it was just because the academy had her so on edge. Grimm shook off the feeling as she stepped up to the man and offered her hand.

"My name is Grimm, it's nice to meet another human here," she said as the man's eyes lit up with mirth.

"The pleasure is all mine," he said, grasping her hand for what was probably too long to be comfortable. "I'm Solomon, though I must admit, you have a pretty amusing name, Grimm."

"It's just a coincidence," Grimm said, quickly taking her hand back.

"Hm, perhaps it's fate you're here," he smirked and Grimm found herself wanting to agree with him, remembering her feelings from the previous day. She nodded just as her D.D.D. beeped with a notification, she checked it to see it was time for her to be in her next class. Asmo took note of this and let out a loud and melodramatic sigh, arms tightening around Solomon.

"I guess that's my cue to leave, you two don't have too much fun without me." Asmo slid around Solomon to instead wrap his arms around his neck, chirruping all the while as he nuzzled up against the other. Grimm looked away as she felt awkward just standing there as the other two practically wrapped around each other. When it came to demons, Grimm had seen enough to understand Asmo was making sure Solomon was coated in his scent. Shortly afterwards Asmodeus nipped at Solomon's cheek before spinning on a dime and bouncing up to Grimm. She tensed, thinking he might latch onto her next, but instead he just patted her on the head and went about his way.

"See you later, cutie," he winked at Grimm as he left. That demon certainly was a friendly one, Grimm was beginning to conclude. She turned towards Solomon, now that it was just the two of them, feeling a bit out of place.

"Um, so are you two friends or....?" Grimm asked trailing off as she worried the question may have been too invasive.

"You could say that, we do have a pact with one another," Solomon smiled, a chuckle escaping him as he motioned towards the classroom door. "We should get going, ladies first."

Grimm beamed as she finally entered the classroom. Being alone throughout the day had been dreadful, but after her encounter she felt much lighter. Not as lonely.

Upon entering the room with Solomon on her heels, the angels turned to look their way, and yup the small one sure did appear to be a child. He was quick to size both Grimm and Solomon up, arms crossed in a pout and looking as though he wished he were literally anywhere other than there. The angel's foot tapped repeatedly on the floor in discomfort and Grimm realized it must have been odd for their kind to be staying down in the Devildom. The thought gave Grimm the strongest urge to protect.

The angel that looked to be older stood up to greet the new-comers, a friendly smile upon his face.

"It appears our new human friends have finally joined us," he said, voice smooth and reminding Grimm of wind-chimes. "Wasn't expecting the great king Solomon to be late on his first day."

"Sorry, I had to stop to help this poor lost soul," Solomon responded, sending a playful smirk Grimm's way that had her rubbing the back of her head. This got the angel's attention onto her as he turned his friendly face towards her.

"Oh, you must be Grimm," he said and she was quite impressed he knew of her already. Though perhaps he actually went a step further to learn about who his classmates were before meeting them. "It's always nice to meet a human. I'm Simeon and this is Luke."

Grimm gave each of them a brief greeting, suddenly feeling overwhelmed once again, but this time it wasn't uncomfortable. In fact, Grimm felt kind of excited, these three were in the same boat as her and Riley, being so far away from home in a strange place. Even though she suspected Solomon had been to the Devildom before, she felt a certain camaraderie with this group that she couldn't necessarily share with the demon brothers.

"Now that we're all here I suppose we just wait for our instructor for class to start...." Simeon said before trailing off, his gaze flicking towards the door, "though I did hear a rumor about their being a third human."

"My brother," Grimm said, perking up as she took a few minutes to explain the situation to the angel. Simeon nodded along with her.

"Well the more the merrier," he said, "I look forward to meeting him."

Grimm frantically nodded in excitement, it was a nice thought to think of all of them getting along with one another. Though she wasn't exactly sure how Riley would react around an angel. She hoped he wasn't as high strung as he was around the demons.

"How come there gets to be three humans now and only two of us," Grimm heard Luke grumble from where he stuck close by Simeon's side. "Doesn't seem fair."

"It must have been a tough decision for Diavolo to make," Simeon hummed in thought, "but I'm sure he went with what he saw as the best option."

"I think it was," Grimm suddenly spoke up, getting all eyes on her, though perhaps she was a bit biased considering it was her brother in question. She brushed them off as she looked away, "I just hope Riley is okay."

"He was the last I saw him," said a new voice from behind Grimm. She jumped and spun around to see Barbatos had joined them. The demon smiled, "greetings again, Grimm."

"Gah," Luke squeaked as he stepped closer behind Simeon, "these creepy demons always sneaking up on us."

Grimm noticed Barbatos' face remained calm and pleasant though his eyes narrowed ever so slightly in the angel's direction.

She cleared her throat and side stepped around Simeon to be a bit closer to the other angel, Luke sending a glare her way.

"That was rather rude," Grimm reprimanded, her voice low, though the others could still no doubt hear her. Luke's eyes flashed as he scrunched up his nose, offended.

"Don't talk to me like I'm a child," he spat, arms crossed, "I'm like hundreds of years older than you!"

"Then you shouldn't behave like one," Grimm was used to dealing with Riley, this tiny angel was no different. Luke appeared flabbergasted by her words, so instead of biting back, he turned away from her with his chin up.

"You heard her, Luke," Simeon chuckled as he glanced at the two, amusement shining bright in his eyes. Meanwhile, Solomon had turned to face Barbatos in greeting, a playful smirk on his face.

"So are you going to be our teacher, Barbatos?" He asked, "no offense but you don't seem like the type."

"I'm not," Barbatos nodded, "but Lord Diavolo has asked me to oversee your learning about our customs to make sure nothing slips through the cracks."

Grimm could tell the exchange program was something incredibly serious to Diavolo and everyone was trying their best to make sure it went as smoothly as possible. She hoped she could do her part as well, it was the least she could do.

With that, the class went by incredibly fast, it was casual since there were so few of them and it helped put Grimm at ease. They all chatted and discussed the topics about the Devildom's customs as if they were all old friends and perhaps a couple of them were. Grimm sat in her seat quietly and paid close attention to what was going on around her, making sure she remembered important things for Riley's sake. Occasionally Simeon or Solomon would speak with her, ask about her life in the human world, to which she would answer while not getting too specific.

After that Grimm only had one more class, the rest of the day going by in a blur. She had only tried college once long ago and was glad RAD operated in a similar way, she didn't think she'd be able to handle full days right off the bat. Grimm hurried towards the enormous building's entrance, far too eager to get back to the house and see if Riley was back and what he had brought from the human world. She bounced out into the cold Devildom air, her snug uniform helping to keep her warm as she suddenly came to a stop, having not thought much about how she would get back. Lucifer had practically vanished from her sights since he left her earlier, not a single glimpse of him throughout the day as the human was left to her own devices. He had said she was safe on campus and at the house, heavily implying that the rest of the hellish landscape was off-limits to her.

Grimm hesitated at the entrance, a couple of demons mulling about glancing her way, one of them even having the audacity to sneer at her. She was quick to avert her eyes and take a step back, wondering if she should go find Lucifer or someone, but.... His words from earlier flashed through her mind and she didn't feel like bothering him, he seemed busy anyway.

During her thoughts, a hand had reached out and lightly tapped on Grimm's shoulder, making her flinch back as she whirled around to face whoever had approached. Beelzebub withdrew his hands to instead rub them together, looking apologetic.

"Sorry," he said, "I didn't mean to scare you."

"O-Oh, it's okay," Grimm said as she glanced back towards the lesser demons only to see them slink away. "You just surprised me."

Beel nodded as he took that as an answer before motioning towards the old cobblestone pathway that would lead them to the forest. "Do you want me to walk with you to the House?"

Grimm excitedly nodded, glad she wouldn't have to brave it on her own as the two of them began the long trek.

"So where's Leviathan?" Grimm asked after a moment, thinking of the snake-like demon she had met that morning. "Isn't he supposed to be my guardian?"

"He mainly does online classes," was all Beelzebub said on the matter as Grimm frowned. She wondered if Leviathan would even be around her enough to apparently watch over her. She could suddenly see why everyone had been so surprised at Lucifer's decision. Hm, maybe she would have to be the one to approach Levi first, he did appear rather closed off after all.

The rest of the walk back to the House of Lamentation was in silence as Grimm thought up of ways to properly introduce herself to Leviathan. Luckily she didn't think Beelzebub minded her lack of speaking as the two casually strolled together, in fact it was rather comfortable. Once they finally reached the forest, Grimm stopped thinking about Levi and huddled closer to Beel, just to be on the safe side. The walk did appear shorter each time, at least.

Eventually Grimm and Beelzebub entered the house, immediately being enveloped with the warmth of the distant fireplaces. Lucifer stood near the grand staircase, typing away on his D.D.D. with an apparent scowl on his face. It was quick to vanish as

he noticed the human with his brother, quickly pocketing his phone so he could walk over. Beel looked between the other two before nodding a farewell to Grimm and making an immediate b-line towards the kitchen.

"I just spoke with Mammon," Lucifer said, getting Grimm's complete attention. "He and your brother are on their way back as we speak."

Grimm beamed at that, glad to hear Riley was okay.

"How was your first day?" Lucifer asked, crossing his arms as now it was just the two of them, it made her feel small. Despite that Grimm still managed to put on a nervous smile as she began to fill the old demon in on how her day had gone. She may have blundered a couple words, but he seemed pleased by the results none-the-less. "Good, we shouldn't be having any problems then-"

"Luciferrrrr!!" Came the sudden cry of Mammon as the demon dashed into the house and ran towards his older brother, the other tensing, eyes narrow. "I swear it's not my fault."

"What is it this time?" Lucifer huffed with a quick glance towards Grimm that had her ready to cower, she looked at Mammon with a flash of fear. Wait, where was Riley? Lucifer appeared to notice this as well, "if you let something happen to that human on your first day of watching him-"

"Ugh, he's fine unfortunately," Mammon rolled his eyes, "it's just that-"

"Mrrrow!" A loud caterwaul echoed throughout the house, making Lucifer's eyes go wide as everyone in the entryway turned towards the door.

"Mammon, you dick, I told you to help me with these!" There stood Riley, struggling with all of his bags slung over his shoulders and in his hands was a rather plump and fluffy cat that appeared to be a Munchkin mixed with a Siamese. Grimm gasped at the sight as she looked between Lucifer and her brother, noticing how Mammon made himself scarce and with good reason. The eldest demon glared daggers into Riley, his lip twitching upwards as if threatening to bare his fangs. Fangs Grimm could see the smallest inkling off, it made her shy away, instead turning to run towards her brother with open arms.

Grimm quickly snatched Cleo, arms wrapping around the cat protectively as she snuggled into her owner's arms, purring up a storm. Riley let out a relieved breath before allowing his luggage to fall to the floor, straightening out his back with a pop. Glad to his sister, he wrapped her and the cat within a protective hug, eyeing Lucifer all the while.

"Riley, why is Cleo here?" Grimm asked, her brief moment of excitement being chased off by the way Lucifer had glared at the feline. She thought about the cat being in the Devildom, "it's probably too dangerous for her here."

Riley frowned at that as he stepped away from Grimm, but remained close enough that he could scratch the cat on her tiny head, "I couldn't leave her there. She's a part of our family."

"I don't care," Lucifer spoke, his voice commanding authority, it made Cleo tense in Grimm's arms before she let out a threatening yowl in the demon's direction. "We have a 'No Cats' rule, get it out of here before-"

Somewhere within the House, a door slammed before Lucifer could finish his words, followed by the sound of frantic footsteps. The eldest demon let out a sigh, rubbing the bridge of his nose as if he knew a headache was going to be coming on.

"Who is that lovely creature?!" Came a voice that Grimm had only heard a couple of times, she turned around to see Satan bound down the staircase two stairs at a time. He practically shoved Lucifer out of the way to get to Grimm's side, his eyes bearing into Cleo as if she were the sun. Despite it all, the situation made Grimm smile, even if Riley tensed with his sights set on Satan. The blonde demon reached out to pet the cat, but hesitated, "what's her name?"

"It's Cleo," Grimm responded and despite Riley's sounds of disagreement, she allowed the blonde demon to take the cat into his arms. Surprisingly Cleo purred loudly and curled into Satan's chest as he ran his hand through her fur with a gentleness that was unexpected.

"Like Cleopatra," Satan chuckled, "a fitting name for a queen."

"Queen or not, she can't stay here," Lucifer said as he crossed his arms, glaring at the group. "You humans should be more focused on surviving during your time here, not worrying over your cat."

At that Grimm and Riley looked at one another with matching frowns because a part of them knew Lucifer was right. Satan hummed and looked at the two humans before focusing back on Cleo in his arms.

"You know," Satan stated, rubbing his chin in contemplation which had Lucifer's eyes narrowing as he wondered what his brother was going to get at. "An earthly cat like this being loose in the Devildom could do astronomical damage to the fragile ecosystem. Do you want the local crow population to go extinct, Lucifer? Or perhaps we can go ask Diavolo if we can open another portal to take the cat back, you know this cat the human you're supposed to be keeping an eye on snuck into the Devildom."

Grimm tensed as Lucifer stood there in silence for a moment, looking utterly annoyed at what his brother had just said. The older demon shook his head.

"Fine, dealing with how to get rid of it would be more problem-some than just letting it stay," Lucifer grumbled. "But you three better take care of it and keep her out of where she doesn't belong."

Satan looked smug as Grimm released a relieved breath, finally being handed back Cleo. She held her tight, glad to have some semblance of home with them, with Cleo things felt.... better. Grimm caught Satan's small smile as he carefully scratched the cat's ears, Riley still watching them carefully before he turned his sights to Lucifer. The older demon had turned to go, when Riley smirked.

"Sorry, Lucy~" he called out, making both Grimm and Satan snap their wide-eyes onto him. Lucifer stopped right in his tracks as he turned to face the human, eyes narrowed as he questioned whether he heard that right or not. Riley went on now that he had the room's attention, "you said yourself Grimm should have whatever's in her best interest. If that means having Cleo here, then so be it."

"Watch yourself-" Lucifer began but was quickly cut off by Satan's sharp laughter. The blonde demon stepped towards Riley and sat a firm hand on his shoulder, the human tensed but didn't shove him off.

"Oh, you're going to fit in here," Satan purred, which got Riley to genuinely smile for the first time since they had come to the Devildom. Grimm was glad, but something still felt wrong, and she knew it was the pair of eyes that she could still feel burning into them. Ever so slightly she glanced at Lucifer from the corner of her eyes, the older demon glared daggers into the group, his arms crossed and body tense.

Lucifer began to realize Riley was going to be a lot more trouble than he had initially thought....


	4. Chapter 4

Cleo found herself sprawled out upon a large and extravagant box that had been left in the house's entry-hall, her claws lazily digging into the cardboard. She had, of course, been too small to leap on top of it but the strange creature that liked to hover around her had given some assistance. The feline purred, enjoying how it felt on her paws, she felt at ease and comfortable despite being in such a new and strange place. Her humans were there though so she was happy, not only that, but there were so many bizarre non-human creatures living there too! They looked human, but she could tell by their smell they were not.

Speaking of which.

One of the non-human beings had crept up towards the box Cleo had claimed as her perch, circling around around it with interest. He scraped his own blue claws against the box as if to feel whatever was inside.

"Ohh, is this the life-sized figurine I ordered," he pondered, stepping a little bit too close to Cleo for her liking. The cat drew her ears back and hissed, but much to her surprised the man drew his lips back to reveal two elongated fangs, before returning the hiss right back at her. Snake! The cat leaped straight up and bolted, practically landing on her face as she jumped to the floor, the man watched her go with a thinly veiled annoyance before turning back towards the box.

"I'm afraid this one isn't for you, Levi," Lucifer said as he entered the House of Lamentation, a RAD uniform clutched in his hands. The purple haired demon let out a huff as he backed away from the box, no longer interested in it. Lucifer shook his head, clearly not in the mood to put up with his brother's antics, "it's the bed I ordered for our.... extra human."

Levi carefully watched Lucifer from the corner of his eyes, word had spread fast about the cat situation, and now the eldest was in such an obvious bad mood. A lot more than usual, that is.

"Mammon!" Lucifer wasted no time to call out, making Levi flinch back at the sudden booming voice.

"HUH?!" The second oldest responded as he popped his head around the corner.

"Take this box to the humans' room and set it up," Lucifer said motioning towards the offending object, not wanting to deal with it himself.

"Wha- Why do I have to do it?" Mammon growled as he scampered over, "look at this heavy box, I can't carry it!"

"Then have Leviathan help you." That comment finally got Levi's attention as he whipped around, jaw dropping.

"But Lucifer-"

"Just do it," the eldest demon snapped, his voice stern and allowing for no arguments. The others instantly piped up as Lucifer went on, "consider it a bonding moment, and take these to Riley while you're at it."

He deposited the RAD uniform into Mammon's arms, ignoring his younger brother's whines.

"UGH," Mammon groaned as he tucked the uniform under his arm and turned towards the box with Leviathan.

"Stupid Mammon, getting me dragged into this!"

"It's not my fault!"

Lucifer shook his head as his brothers continued to bicker in the background, each trying to get a hold of the box until Mammon nearly ripped the thing out of Levi's hands. The two of them tumbled down. Well, they would figure it out eventually. Lucifer paused as he felt something brush up against his leg and looked down to see that blasted cat. She looked up at him expectantly, setting a single dainty paw on his shoe.

"I'm not feeding you," he said, lightly shaking her off. Cleo let out a loud meow before trotting away, already thinking she owned the place.

How bothersome, Lucifer sighed....

\----

"Oh there you are Cleo," Grimm said from where she sat on the bed as the cat waltz into the room without a care in the world. She smiled and patted the blanket beside her to coax Cleo to lay next to her. The cat tiptoed into the room and paused as she looked over at where Riley currently sat cross-legged on top of the table as he oh so carefully directed how Mammon and Leviathan were putting together the bed frame.

"I think this part goes in here," Mammon said as he tried to slot in a piece that clearly did not go there.

"Well the INSTRUCTIONS say-"

"We don't need no instructions, Levi!" Mammon growled as he nearly snapped the iron frame in two, trying to get it to work.

"I think you're both wrong," Riley pointed towards the bed-frame, his new D.D.D. in hand, "clearly the way you two are going about it is incorrect."

"Shut up, dumb human, I don't see ya tryin' to help!"

"Yea, no back-seat gaming!"

Grimm let out a sigh as Cleo wiggled into her lap, those three had been going at it like that for quite some time now. Ever since Mammon and Leviathan had tumbled into the humans' room with the large box. Riley had been far too excited to start bossing the demons around when he learned Lucifer had ordered his two brothers to help out. Mammon was quick to bicker with Riley and Grimm was starting to see that's just how those two interacted. Her gaze trailed over to where Leviathan sat fiddling with a couple of spare bolts, looking as though he wanted to be any where other than there in that moment. He slouched as if to make himself smaller, hair practically covering his eyes.

Grimm frowned as she ran her fingers through Cleo's scruffy fur, adverting her eyes from Levi before he could notice her staring. Unlike Riley, she hadn't even had the chance to have a conversation with her supposed guardian yet. In all honesty, she didn't even know if Levi knew she existed, aside from the first time they met, he hadn't so much as looked at her since. Grimm wanted to properly introduce herself and get to know him, but she didn't exactly know how, plus she could admit that his silent stares were a little intimidating.

She looked down at Cleo, the cat happily purring with not a clue as to what was going on in the world around her. The lucky cat probably didn't even realize she was in a vastly different realm than the one she had been born into. Grimm hoped Cleo would do okay here, she hoped all three of them would be fine and though their arrival was still fresh, Grimm liked to think they were going to be okay.

Grimm lifted her hand to see it was clumped with cat fur, she quickly shook it off.

"We need to get you a brush, Cleo," she hummed to the cat, "I wonder if Satan could pick one up for you."

Grimm still didn't know the blonde demon all too well, but he seemed genuine in wanting the best for Cleo. He even suggested the humans could ask him to see to her needs whenever they couldn't. However, Grimm just felt so weird about asking Satan to do so!

"Hey Riley," she called out, getting her brother's attention, "can you text Satan and ask him to buy a brush for Cleo?"

Riley flicked a finger in Grimm's direction to acknowledge he heard her before fiddling with his phone. It was funny really, for someone that was so dead set on not becoming accustomed to the Devildom, Riley sure did perk up at having the device in his possession. Just as he promised, the first thing he chose to do upon receiving it was change everyone's names in the device, wanting his interactions to be on his own terms. Oh, and also exchanging numbers with Grimm so they'd be able to stay in contact.

Riley opened up his chat with Satan, whom had been promptly renamed 'The Only Bitch in this House I Respect' and after scrolling through a sea of Cleo pictures, sent him a quick message. It didn't take him long to respond back with an 'okay!' emoji followed by a message that read, 'I was planning on doing that today anyway.' Afterwards, Riley put his phone away and started back up with trying to boss the demons around, both Levi and Mammon letting out loud and annoyed grumbles.

Grimm sighed and was about to leave them to it, when the door to her and Riley's room creaked open. She tensed, not knowing who else might make an appearance when Asmodeus popped his head into the room. Grimm eased up and was about to greet the Avatar of Lust, but she didn't get the chance as he waltz right into the room and headed straight for the dresser.

"Um, can I help you with something, Asmo?" Grimm asked, but was ignored as said demon began to trifle through the humans' drawers. Grimm could feel her face heat up as Asmo pulled out some of their clothing, examining it before his nose wrinkled up and he tossed it aside. "Excuse me?"

At that point Riley noticed they had a new guest and spun around so fast he nearly fell face first off the table. Riley huffed as he clambered back onto the floor and over towards the Lust demon.

"What do you think you're doing?" Riley crossed his arms, "trying to rob us?"

"Please," Asmo rolled his eyes as if it were a stupid statement. "That's Mammon's thing, not mine."

"Hate to admit it," Mammon spoke up from where he still sat, "but he's right."

"Uh," Grimm stammered as she slid Cleo off of her and hurried over towards Riley's side. "Then why are you going through our stuff?"

"I'm just looking to see what you two have to offer?" Asmodeus motioned to the humans with his brightly painted claws before turning back to look at their drawer of clothing. His lips rose up in a silent snarl, "admittedly it's not much, these clothes look like you pulled them out a dumpster."

Grimm and Riley exchanged a glance.

"Absolutely heinous...." Asmodeus shook his head in disgust, before placing a hand on his hip and pointing towards Grimm. "Hm, so where are your clothes, surely you have more taste than your brother."

"Bitch," Riley snapped, getting a cackling laugh from Mammon as Asmo huffed. Grimm was quick to set a calming hand on Riley's shoulder to bring him a step back, not wanting an unnecessary fight to break out.

"You see," Grimm began, the Avatar of Lust's bright eyes carefully taking her in. "Riley and I just kind of.... share clothes."

"Vile!" Asmodeus gasped and Grimm was sure if he’d been wearing pearls, he'd have clutched them. "Why would you do that? You're kind of pretty Grimm, I mean not as much as ME, but you have potential."

"Really?" Grimm asked in awe, eyes sparkling, to which the demon let out a playful purr before slinking forward and pulling both of the humans into his arms. Grimm was quick to return the hug on impulse, though surprised to find Asmo's skin was chilled to the touch. Meanwhile, Riley physically bristled, his teeth grinding against each other as he struggled against the ironclad grip. Asmo's hold only tightened, though he surprisingly kept his fingers elevated, careful not to dig his claws into his fragile little humans' flesh.

"Come along you two," the demon purred as he dragged them to the door, "the beautiful and extravagant Avatar of Lust will take you under his four wings. You're coming to the store with me and I won't take no for an answer, if you're to be seen with me then you're to dress the part."

"Then why does Satan dress the way he does?" Riley asked, finally succumbing to his fate by ragdolling to make Asmo physically pull him. The lust demon huffed.

"We don't talk about that."

"But we have to finish the bed...." Leviathan murmured from where he still sat with Mammon, annoyed as the humans were ushered away.

"You payin' Asmo?" Mammon called out, ignoring Levi's whines.

"Of course~"

"Then why didn't ya say so, let's go!" Mammon grinned and leaped up, hurrying out of the door along with the others, leaving Leviathan to his own devices. The envy demon frowned as he looked down at the bits and pieces of the bed's iron frame, they hadn't even gotten any progress done on it.

"I think I'm just going back to my room...." Levi shook his head as Asmodeus poked his head back into the room.

"Fine by me," he purred, "I'll be sure to take good care of the human Lucifer left you in charge of~"

Asmo winked and Levi could feel a shudder go down his spine, not having a clue what his brother meant by that. However, he didn't want to find out and also didn't want to risk Lucifer's wrath.

"Wha- Wait for me!" Levi called as he clambered up and hurried after the rest of the group before they could leave him behind.

Cleo sat up in the bed, having been left alone, wondering where her humans were going off to with those strange creatures. Oh well, they would be back later. Until then she decided to go find some place more comfortable to sleep, there had to be loads of places like that in this huge den.

\----

Thus Grimm and Riley found themselves being pulled through the Devildom towards a shopping district they never would have had the money (grimm) to pay for, if it weren't for Asmodeus. All the while Riley grumbled with crossed arms, stomping along as if his tattered sneakers were full of lead, though not far behind him Mammon skipped along being the polar opposite. Grimm could tell the Avatar of Greed was excited as he hummed a tune she didn't know. Beside him Leviathan trudged, his head low as he fiddled around with his phone, by some miracle managing not to trip on any loose rocks in the old cobblestone pathway they walked. Grimm contemplated perhaps shuffling up to him to ask what he was doing, but she stopped herself, figuring he likely wouldn't enjoy being interrupted.

"Mm, so tell me Grimm," Asmo spoke from where he walked ahead of everyone, leading the way. He spun around and walked backwards so he could face the human, his steps confident as if he walked this way a thousand times, even with the short and skittering way he moved. He didn't fear bumping into anyone as lesser demons knew well enough to scamper out of the way as three of the strongest demons in Devildom came trampling through. Asmodeus flipped his hair as he scanned Grimm's body up and down, "do you have any colors you fancy? I think I have an idea for your wardrobe, but I'd still like to know."

"Oh, uh, I guess I like the color black," she responded which got an incredibly serious nod from the demon, possibly the most determined she had seen him.

"Monochrome then, yes I can definitely see that, it'd match your hair," Asmo smiled before the look vanished as his gaze traveled to Riley. "I think those colors would work for your brother too, I've also an idea on what he'd be into."

Riley came to attention as he rose a single finger to snap back at the demon but he didn't get the chance as Mammon hurried forward ahead of the group. As they entered a square with several large and fanciful looking buildings, Mammon stopped in front of one, pointing to it with a look of excitement in his eyes.

"Asmo, let's go to Majolish, come on!" Mammon didn't wait for anyone as he dashed off into the building, leaving Asmodeus to let out a sigh as he glanced at the humans. However, wanting to save face, he followed after his brother despite the groan from Leviathan at the back of the pack.

"I don't think I like this," Riley whispered to Grimm as they came up on the building, it looked like one of the multi-storied clothing shops you'd see in a large city. It's shadow loomed over the two humans while the dull neon lights from the store's 'Majolish' sign danced overhead.

"You haven't liked a lot about the Devildom," Grimm pointed out, but she was quick to drop it as she saw the pained expression on Riley's face. It was clear he felt entirely too out of his element, uncomfortable even. Grimm linked their arms together in an attempt to comfort him, a gentle smile on her face.

"You don't have to get any clothes if you don't want to," Grimm said as they followed after Asmodeus into the building. "You can just wear the stuff we brought if that's what makes you happy."

Riley hesitated as he looked off towards the side, the lights within the shop practically blinding, coming from the glass chandeliers hanging overhead and casting their glow. Surprisingly this was the brightest building they'd been inside in the Devildom thus far. It didn't look too much different from what you'd see in the human world and she wondered if that was an intentional design choice. It would make sense, considering how everything appeared like it should be familiar to her, and yet, somehow felt entirely too off. Even here, the lights felt far too bright for the world they were in and yet, not bright enough, and it was something her brain couldn't comprehend.

"Excuse me!" Came the voice of a demoness that looked to be one of the attendants working in the shop, she stalked over, cloven-hooves clacking against the linoleum flooring. She glared at Mammon with her three eyes, "didn't we ban you just last week?!"

"Ya must have the wrong guy!" Mammon waved her off as if her concerns weren't warranted, the demoness' lips drew back to reveal her elongated fangs as a hiss sounding of steam escaped from her. Mammon returned the glare, "what, ya wanna fight about it?"

Asmodeus let out a loud sigh as he stepped forward, "he's with me unfortunately."

The demoness looked towards the Avatar of Lust and immediately brightened, a playful purr emitting from her as she pushed away from Mammon as if he weren't even there. That made the Avatar of Greed roll his eyes, but he didn't appear too bothered as he slipped away towards a clothing rack.

"Oh, of course!" The demoness said as she practically threw herself at Asmo, "greetings Lord Asmodeus, I didn't know you were coming in today."

"It was a last minute decision," he managed to put on a smile despite side-eyeing his older brother, but Mammon was long gone by then.

"Can I get you anything to drink while you shop?" The demoness asked hopefully, a sparkle to her eye as she wrapped her arms around Asmodeus' neck. Well, they certainly were friendly with one another, so much so that Grimm felt the need to look away, feeling like she was intruding on something. Asmo returned the demoness' gesture, wrapping his arms around her to bring her closer, the two scenting one another and lightly nipping at each other's necks. Well then. The demoness paused for a moment to look at Asmo's face, "or has Lord Lucifer sent you to fetch his tailored suit again?"

"No to both," Asmo stated as he stepped away from the she-demon, though he kept a hand on her lower back. The Avatar of Lust turned his bright eyes towards the two humans nervously stood nearby, motioning to them, "we're actually here to find something for our humans."

"Humans...." The other demon murmured quizzically before following Asmo's gestures, her reddened eyes landing on them. All three narrowed as her lip drew up in a silent sneer, making Grimm shy away as the other spat, "oh, I don't think we have anything suitable for them, but feel free to look around."

With that the demoness disengaged from Asmodeus and sauntered away, the Avatar of Lust looking no less chipper, in fact he almost appeared amused by the interaction. Riley looked between the two demons before turning back towards Grimm, brows furrowed.

"Are you sure about getting new clothes?" Riley asked, scanning the rows of fancy-looking clothing before turning back. Grimm's face gained the lightest shade of pink, the demoness' glare forgotten as she trembled with excitement, Riley still frowned. "I mean, like you said, we have clothes from home...."

"O-Oh, well I was just thinking maybe it'd be nice to have some feminine clothing," Grimm got out, her voice barely above a whisper. Riley had managed to hear her though, and despite his obvious discomfort towards the whole shopping trip, he finally smiled.

"I guess as long as you're happy," Riley murmured as he glanced around the large entrance to the store. Grimm's head started to ache from the bright fluorescent lights as Riley squinted his eyes past them and trotted over towards a rack of clothing close by to the store's window. Curiously he checked the price tag of one of the dresses and then at the sight of all those zeros, immediately snatched his hand back. Riley didn't think he was rich enough to even look at these outfits, let alone touch them. "I hate it here."

Grimm let out a sigh, not knowing what to do for her brother, she just wanted Riley to allow himself to have some fun. She heard a sudden hum from Asmo as the demon took both of the humans in his sights, and Grimm was sure their discomfort was obvious. The lust demon's gaze then flicked over the various clothing racks and it was like a sudden light had gone off in his head.

"You know what, that she-demon is right," Asmodeus said as he hobbled over to Grimm and Riley, linking his arms with their's. Grimm was quick to return the gesture, lightly grabbing onto the demon, but Riley only tensed. Asmo lifted his nose up in the air as though he were suddenly too good for the store, "none of these clothes are your style at all, not unless you want to party with me at the club everyday~"

And at that, Riley finally perked up, his unnaturally pink eyes sliding over ever so slowly to take Asmo within his sights. The demon, on the other hand, could feel Riley's gaze and let out an intrigued trill as he waited for the other to speak what was on his mind.

"You have clubs here?" Riley asked, perhaps beginning to hold onto Asmo's arm a little too tightly, not that the demon minded.

"Of course! What do you think this is, the Celestial Realm?" Asmo purred with humor, though it was soon chased away as his eyes became half lidded and he leaned a bit closer to the human, "why do you ask, darling Riley?"

"N-No reason!" Riley spat, ripping his hand away from Asmo as he suddenly realized how close the demon was. This only made Asmodeus giggle as he turned away from Riley to face Grimm instead, placing his freshly manicured hand on top of her's. The two smiled at one another as if sharing a knowing secret. It made Riley grit his teeth, unhappy with how buddy-buddy the Avatar of Lust was trying to be with his sister. Either way he didn't have to be concerned for too long as Asmo tossed a look over his shoulder.

"Mammon, we're leaving!" He called, "hurry up or we'll ditch you!"

"H-Hey wait up!" Mammon yelled as he made a reappearance from behind one of the clothing racks, his arms full to the brim with various items. "Asmo aren't ya gonna buy me shit?"

"Oh Mammon," Asmo said, a Cheshire smile twisting onto his face, "I never said I was going to pay for YOU."

Mammon let out an annoyed groan as Asmo tugged the humans out of the shop, leaving his brother to drop the pile in his hands. The demoness noticed immediately and let out an annoyed snarl just before Mammon hurried after the others, and if he had slipped something from the store into his coat.... Well that was his business.

Back outside, they found Leviathan waiting for them on the sidewalk, nose still deep into his phone as he barely acknowledged their presence. Grimm took a deep breath and gave him a tentative wave in greeting, to which Levi caught in the corner of his eye, but he appeared adamant to further ignore her existence by turning away.

"Don't mind him," Asmodeus said, having caught the brief exchange. "It's nothing personal, just a shut in being a shut in."

Grimm wanted to argue against that, but not having known Levi well enough, she let the comment pass. Soon enough Mammon caught up with the group, looking only slightly panicked as he ushered everyone along to their next destination. Riley smirked and poked at the demon's jacket, noting how lumpy it was now, though this only got his hand a quick swatting. Riley returned the action, lightly slapping away Mammon's hand, who was quick to retaliate. Asmodeus let out a sigh and shook his head at the childish antics of his supposedly older brother as he and the human began a vigorous slap war. Grimm on the other hand found herself overjoyed, a beaming smile upon her face, because at least Riley was making a friend.... If you could call it that.

She let out a sigh as she wrapped her arms around herself, the Devildom air chilling her to the core. Leviathan still hung back towards the rear of the group and had seldom said a word during this whole venture. In all honestly, Grimm felt bad about having to drag him out along with them, just like Riley, it was clear he was uncomfortable about the whole thing. Maybe she should check up on Levi and straight up ask if he was alright as an icebreaker, though she doubted he was the type to confide in a stranger. Grimm huffed and would have to think of more ways to approach the demon.

Eventually the group made their way to the other store Asmodeus had in mind for the humans. It was only slightly smaller and still had an air of 'probably only rich people shop here', but the clothing itself feigned more casualness than what was at Majolish. Asmo mentioned off-handedly this was where Beel and his own twin got their clothing, so Grimm felt much more enthusiastic and even Riley shrugged as if accepting that as a suitable answer. So the Avatar of Lust pulled the two humans over towards a clothing rack, leaving the other two demons to their own devices, Mammon crossed his arms in a pout since he wasn't the one being spoiled that day. Levi huffed and made his way over to a chair near the changing rooms, stationing himself there while the others did their own thing.

"Hmm, let's see I think this will look lovely on you," Asmo murmured, as he trifled through various outfits and Grimm had to wonder if he was talking to her or himself. "Ohh, but this one matches the color of your eyes."

Grimm had a smile on her face as she went to go look at clothes by herself (well, as alone as she could be with Riley trailing behind her like a lost puppy.) She gravitated towards a rack that had a few long sleeved garments on it, hoping to find something to keep her warm in the chilly Devildom weather, plucking a sweater out of the mix.

"This is kind of cute," Grimm murmured, but that only made Riley scrunch up his face as if he saw something about it she didn't. At hearing the human's voice, Asmo popped his head up to look at the item she held, an amused purr escaping him.

"Yes, that's a positively gorgeous number I'd love to see you wearing," the Avatar of Lust said which probably should have sent off alarm bells in Grimm's mind. However, she just tilted her head to the side, curiously. Riley let out a loud sigh and snatched the sweater from Grimm to turn it over, revealing a large hole in the lower back area.

"Oh!" Grimm said as both humans looked towards Asmodeus in confusion.

“Not all demons are as extravagant as me and my brothers,” he explained with an air of pride that could rival Lucifer. “Most of them aren’t powerful enough to put on a human glamour. So sometimes clothing has openings for wings or tails.”

Grimm hummed as her gaze drifted towards where another she-demon browsed the shop, her back towards the small group. The demoness had bat-like wings escaping from a small heart-shaped opening in the back of her dress. Oh! Well that made a lot more sense to Grimm, and upon a second glance, it would appear the rest of the clothes in this particular rack were made like that as well. Riley took a particular interest in a jean jacket that had two zippers in the back for wings, as he discreetly checked the size before putting it back.

"I think I could still wear this," Grimm stated as she focused back on the sweater she held, getting Riley to snap around towards her, face reddened.

"Absolutely not!"

Asmodeus giggled at the two as he sauntered his way over with a mountain of various outfits in his grip, practically shoving them into Grimm's waiting arms.

"I have to agree with your brother, that's not really your cut," he said before tugging Grimm along to the changing room. "I deduct these being more your thing."

And with that Grimm found herself locked away in a changing room, left to decipher how to even put some of these items on.

Meanwhile Riley huffed as he sat down in the chair next to Leviathan, the two otherwise ignoring one another as they awaited this entire venture to be over with. Asmo caught sight of this from where he had wandered over towards another clothing stack, rummaging through the items with a finely trained eye.

"Don't look so upset," Asmo purred, "your is turn next."

"Thanks for the threat," Riley muttered as he glanced around the shop, promptly ignoring whatever clothing monstrosity the demon was finding for him. Mammon still sulked nearby and when the two made eye contact, they both, simultaneously flipped one another off before Mammon had the audacity to appear offended. Beside him, Levi snorted but supplied nothing else, to which Riley was thankful.

"Oh don't be such a party-pooper," Asmo let out a tired sigh as he walked towards Riley, not as boisterous as before. Now that he wasn't bouncing all over the place, Riley could tell that the demon favored one leg over the other. "Would this be more your cup of tea, Riley?"

Asmodeus held up what appeared to be a sheer black crop top, though with what little amount of fabric there was, Riley could have assumed it to be a silken rag at first. The human's face flushed as it brought to his mind the flashing lights of a dance floor, sweaty bodies tightly packed together, smelling heavily of a fruity cocktail. Riley flushed as he looked away from Asmodeus' smirk, refusing to acknowledge the suggestion.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Riley spat, but before the Avatar of Lust could get a retort in, Grimm's sing-song voice came from the direction of the dressing room.

"This is so cute!" Grimm said as she stepped out, wearing a frilly monochrome top and matching skirt. Her smile beamed from ear to ear as she gave the clothes a light swish. The top's cut was a tad lower than what Grimm usually wore, but it still managed to at least be somewhat tasteful. Riley was relieved Asmo hadn't gone too crazy with the outfit and smiled at the look on his sister's face. She looked genuinely happy as she bounced over to Asmodeus, the two of them looking thrilled as they went over the outfit. So the demon apparently did know what he was doing. Riley still wasn't too thrilled about all of this, but Grimm.... Yea, she deserved something nice for once.

"What do you think?" Grimm suddenly asked him, bringing Riley out of his thoughts as he looked over, both his sister and Asmo looking at him expectantly. "You don't hate it, right?"

Riley blinked as he stared at the shirt's dark pallet, the colors blended together to remind him of a night so long ago. He frowned, Grimm's words rolling around in his head.

_ "So what are you thinking?" Past Grimm had asked him as she sat on her bed in that dark-dark bedroom from years gone by. Though back then that wasn't her name, "you don't hate me now, right?" _

_ "What?" Past Riley asked, tilting his head to the side. That wasn't his original name either. He felt confused in that moment, but he didn't think he could ever hate his sibling, his own twin. "No." _

_ "It's just you looked so shocked when I told you about me...." she whispered, adverting her gaze from him as she looked down at her hands. "Being a girl most of the time." _

_ "Surprised, yes...." Riley said and suddenly his confusion didn't matter anymore, but he could tell this was important to her. "I couldn't hate you though, I just.... don't understand, but if you help me learn I'll do my best." _

_ "I honestly don't know much about it myself," Grimm chuckled, a nervous sound as she finally looked back up at Riley. His pink eyes still managed to be gentle, despite the redness of lack of sleep and irritation from the cheap contacts their father made him wear. _

_ "No," Riley suddenly said, feeling bad for the way Grimm flinched backwards. Has she always been so jumpy and he just never noticed till now? Riley hunched his shoulders to make himself appear smaller, his voice low as to not startle again or wake their parents, "I don't mean about all that, I want you to tell me about who YOU are." _

_ "Oh...." Grimm said, her turn to be surprised until finally a small smile appeared on her face. "Alright." _

In the present Grimm, now with hair a tad bit longer and cut into a choppy style, waved in front of Riley's face to snap him back to reality. He blinked and seamlessly went into a nod, he wasn't a fan of this whole Devildom situation, but he would still support his sister if that's what she needed from him.

"You look pretty, Grimm," he grinned, puffing out his chest with pride, "only the best for MY sister!"

Grimm's eyes sparkled, but before she had the chance to say anything else, Asmodeus shoved clothes into Riley's own arms. Riley growled and was about to protest, but wasn't given the chance as he was roughly shoved into a changing room as well. Grimm chuckled and wondered if Riley was going to play along or if he was going to pout in the changing room the whole time. Either way, Grimm's gaze drifted towards the seat her brother had sat in next to Leviathan, who was still absorbed in his own little world. Taking a deep breath, Grimm trotted over and took a seat, heart pounding as it had the first time she approached her neighbors in New Orleans. Back then she had done so hoping to make some friends and she supposed that was her goal here too, but this felt different.

"I've really outdone myself," Asmodeus murmured as he lightly bounced on his feet. "I'm so amazing~"

Grimm smiled, glad Asmo was having some fun at least, as she looked down at the low-cut of her blouse. Her chest was rather flat, but the way the clothes hugged her gave the illusion she had a bit more. It was nice, she felt nice.

Grimm caught Levi rolling his eyes at what Asmodeus had said, the motion making her put her full attention onto the demon that was supposed to be her guardian. He was still steadily clicking away on his D.D.D. and while Grimm didn't want to be rude, she couldn't help being a bit nosy and glancing over. He appeared to be playing some kind of game that bared a striking resemblance to Pokemon Go.

"Woah," Grimm said, despite herself as she glanced at the colorful images dancing on Leviathan's phone. "These things can have games on them?!"

Levi flinched at her sudden noise, looking as if he just now realized she was there. The two of them blinked at one another before Levi cleared his throat and turned back to his phone.

"Uh, yea...." he muttered, attempting to catch one of the wispy little spirits within the game. Grimm watched him do just that with the trained expertise of someone who had been playing for a while. She smiled, thinking perhaps she was finally getting somewhere with him.

"What are you playing?" Grimm asked, deciding to be upfront. If she waited for Levi to approach her first, she knew she'd be waiting for a while.

"Mononoke Land...." Levi muttered under his breath, still oh so focused on the game. Grimm watched him play with sparkling green eyes, wondering if she could get the same games on her D.D.D. as well.

"Oh I've never heard about that before," she said to keep the conversation going, and also because she was more than a little curious. "What's it about?"

"Pff," Levi muttered as he narrowed his eyes towards her, "I wouldn't expect a human normie to have heard of it."

"Hey, I'm not a normie!" Grimm called out, the insult biting at her skin. "I'll have you know that I clocked in over four hundred hours in Animal Crossing."

"Hmm," Levi hummed as he looked her up and down with his snake-like eyes, sizing her up. Grimm puffed out her chest in determination, not about to be deterred by the demon, thus she stared right back into his eyes. Perhaps the two stared at one another for longer than was comfortable as Levi was quick to advert his gaze, face lightly flushed as he muttered about stupid normies all the while. Grimm was about to retort when Asmodeus' loud caterwaul cut through the silence.

"Ohh, look at you Riley!" The Avatar of Lust said from where he stood in front of the changing rooms, motioning to Grimm's brother, "you clean up so nicely."

"I.... I guess it's okay," Riley blushed when he stepped out of the changing room wearing his new threads. He wore a long-sleeved striped shirt with another short-sleeved t-shirt over it, tattered jeans and black-checkered vans.

"Well if you’re unsure about those, you can still wear this little number here~" Asmo purred as he held up the skimpy little crop top, with a cheeky smile that showed off his fangs. His sunset-eyes glanced down at the collar-like choker Riley wore, "I'm just saying, something about you makes me think this would be your thing."

“These clothes are fine,” Riley crossed his arms, face as red as it could be as he looked away. Grimm giggled as she jumped up out of her seat, taking in his new outfit.

"They suit you so well!" She cheered, which only got her brother to scratch the back of his head. While Grimm did like his outfit, she couldn't help but think it was missing something as she scanned over it. Perhaps all monochrome just wasn't Riley's thing, despite how much he tried to pretend it was.

"Exactly," Asmodeus stated, nose up in the air as he carefully folded the crop top, keeping it close to his body. "It's still his wannabe punk skater-boy look while not being old clothes someone died in."

"Hey just because I bought second hand doesn't mean someone died in those."

"Riley, I'm a demon," Asmo huffed, "I can smell death."

"Hey Asmo," Grimm finally spoke up, breaking apart the previous conversation as she lightly tugged on the demon's sleeve to get his attention. He turned towards her, seemingly happy with the attention as Grimm motioned to Riley, "do you think adding a splash of color would work?"

"Oh?" Asmo said with intrigue, "what do you have in mind?"

Grimm let out a small hum as she put a hand to her chin and stared her brother down, Riley crossed his arms before playfully sticking his tongue out at her. It was apparent to Grimm, though, he wasn't too inclined to be stared at so she was quick to think up of what she knew her brother would like best.

"I think Riley's shoes should be pink," she stated, not missing the nervous way it had him scuffing his feet against the floor.

"Pink?" Asmo asked, eyes sparkling as Riley began to rub circles into his own arm, but it didn't last long as the demon of lust beamed. "Yes, I think you're right, they would go so good with his eyes."

The way Riley deflated wasn't missed and neither was the small smile that appeared ever so quietly on his lips. Yes, Grimm knew exactly what her brother would want, even if he refused to state it himself.

"Look at you," Asmo said as he walked around Grimm and carefully coiled his arm around her, making her flush. "Who knew you had such an eye for fashion, Grimm? Never would have thought it by how you dressed before."

"Well, I made due...." Grimm murmured as she thought about all the clothes she had worn back in the human world. She had preferred to buy things in Riley's size to make things easier on them, but this.... This was nice. Grimm looked down at the frilly clothes she now wore and lightly grasped at her skirt, it was so soft. Her chest felt warm as her own smile broke out onto her face.

A few feet away Riley watched the interaction, originally to make sure Asmo didn't try any funny business, but now.... He couldn't deny the loving look on his sister's face as she gazed down at her clothing, something so simple and yet so very important to her. It was then Riley wondered when the last time he saw her look so happy was....

——

"Ta-da!" Asmodeus cheered as he pulled Grimm and Riley after him into the Living Room, "just look at how I’ve dolled up our guests, no longer will they make my eyes cry!"

"Looks no different to me."

"Because you don’t have an eye for fashion, Satan!" Asmo hissed as Riley snaked his way out of the demon's hold, glaring him down as he brushed off his new shirt. Well, one of many new shirts if the full shopping bag clutched in his grasp was anything to go by. Neither of the human twins had even seen the complete wardrobe yet, they just had to put their faith into Asmo.

Something very disconcerting to Riley.

"Ugh, lets go finish that stupid bed before Lucifer notices we left," Mammon groaned as he and Levi left the room, dragging their feet. Grimm frowned as she watched them go, feeling bad the both of them didn't appear to have any fun on their shopping trip. Her green eyes flicked to the back of Levi's purple hair as he retreated, lifting up her arm as if to call out to him, but she couldn't find her voice. She let out a small sigh as she dropped her arm, thinking perhaps she was being annoying to him and that was the last thing she wanted. Defeated, Grimm trudged over towards the couch where Satan sat reading and lightly leaned up against it, instead watching Riley as he sat his bag of clothes on the table to rummage through it.

"Though I must say that I’m surprised you didn’t go.... overboard," Satan said, getting Grimm's attention as he continued his conversation with Asmodeus. His eyes narrowed towards his brother as he glanced towards both Grimm and Riley's outfits. The Avatar of Lust let out a rather nervous sounding chuckle.

"You clearly don’t have enough faith in me," Asmo said, putting his perfectly manicured hands up in defense.

"Probably because we’re demons."

"Demons or not, you’ve been very kind," Grimm was quick to come to Asmo's defense with a smile. The comment got her a side eye from both Riley and Satan, but she chose to ignore them, "so, thank-you!"

"That’s me," Asmo practically sang as he spun around to look at Grimm with lidded-eyes, "Mr. Kindness with absolutely no ulterior motives!"

"Wait...." Satan lowered his book just as Riley whipped around, clutching a small piece of fabric from his bag.

"What the fuck is this?" He growled, holding up what was clearly the exact same crop top from earlier. Oh. Grimm slapped her hand over her mouth to keep in the sudden giggle that wanted to slip out.

"What?" Asmo asked, attempting to shrug off Riley's glare, "I was going to invite you to go clubbing with me. That'd be perfect for it."

Only for a moment did Riley hesitate as he took a second glance at the offending object clutched in his grasp before roughly shoving it back into the bag. Riley spat, "absolutely not, I'm not going to party with you."

"Rude!" Asmo gasped, hand on his chest as if scandalized.

"Come on Riley, it's not that bad...." Grimm muttered as she took a glance inside of her own bag. Almost immediately her eyes caught something she hadn't noticed before, something that appeared rather.... lacy. Against her better judgement, Grimm pulled out the sheer nightgown from her bag, nearly dropping it as her face flushed. "W-What is this for?"

Riley's eyes snapped over towards her and his face immediately mirrored her own, with an added eye twitch.

"Oh Grimm, you're going to be here for a long time," Asmodeus said as if it were obvious. "You might as well have some fun while you're here. Any demon in the Devildom would kill to see a cute human like you wear that."

It was said with a smile and in an odd way, Grimm felt flattered that Asmo praised her so highly. Even despite some of his certain implications. Riley, on the other hand, felt the opposite.

"Why you!" Riley growled and the next thing anyone knew, he leaped at Asmo, attempting to take swipes at him. The Avatar of Lust simply giggled as he skittered out of Riley's reach, an amused smile on his face.

"You can't hurt me Riley, I'm a demon-" Asmo said just as the human lunged forward, his hands out as he roughly scuffed up the top of the demon's head. "NO NOT MY HAIR!!!!"

Asmo broke away from Riley and without another word, he bolted from the room, Riley giving chase soon after. Grimm shook her head as the sounds of a spat continued to echo throughout the house's halls even as they grew further away.

"You shouldn't be so trusting of Asmo, or any of us for that matter," Satan suddenly spoke once the room had grown silent. Grimm turned to face him, their eyes making contact. Satan closed his book and looked away from her towards the blazing fireplace across the room. "When you put your faith into the faithless, you'll end up with claws in your back."

"For demons I don't think you're that bad," Grimm responded.

"You haven't seen what we're capable of," Satan said, deciding to leave it at that as he fell silent once more. Grimm's brows furrowed, the motion pinching her old scar as she thought his words over. She understood she should probably heed his warning and yet it wasn't something she could fathom, despite talking to literal Satan, as she wasn't as cynical as Riley. Grimm was about to ask the demon to clarify, but was cut short as her D.D.D. dinged with a message. So she decided to leave the conversation off there.

Taking out her phone, she fully expected to see another text from Lucifer or even Diavolo to check up on how she was doing. What Grimm didn't expect was the words 'New Message from Leviathan' to show on her lock screen, practically making her heart skip a beat. Grimm wasted no time to open her chat with him, the only message there being the one he just sent, though to further her surprise it was only a link. Scanning over the automated message that read "Leviachan has invited you to catch spirits with him in Mononoke Land! Make your account by clicking the link!" she felt the smallest of smiles appear on her face. To her this was something major and she would waste no time in downloading that app later once she got her new clothes put away.

With a new found warmth enveloping her belly, Grimm closed out of the app, her wallpaper of Riley with Cleo flashing briefly before locking her screen. That reminded her.... Pocketing her D.D.D. she glanced at Satan, feeling light as their previous conversation was pushed to the back of her mind.

"Riley mentioned you were going shopping for Cleo," she said instead, "how'd that go."

"Excellent, I got her the finest cat brush Lucifer's money could buy," Satan grinned, seeming to perk up more at the new topic on hand. "Along with a new collar, toys, and a premium Devildom cat food that should be safe enough for a human world cat to eat."

"Oh wow, thanks Satan!" Grimm said, her eyes wide at his willingness to go above and beyond for her cat, "you didn't have to do all of that."

"Nonsense," he said with an amused smile, "that cute little thing deserves it."

"Speaking of which," Grimm said as she glanced around the Livingroom, seeing not a sign of said little thing. "Where is Cleo?"

"Hm," Satan hummed as he followed Grimm's gaze, "I haven't seen her since I got back."

"Well I'm sure she's around here somewhere."

\----

Lucifer let out a deep sigh as he walked through the hallway from his office back to his bedroom. In the distance he could hear Asmo shouting about something, but unless it escalated out of hand or someone broke something, it wasn't his problem. The old demon had been busy the past few days with finishing the paperwork for Riley's last minute enrollment into the Academy, something that would have taken anyone else at least a week to do. Lucifer didn't have that kind of time, however, he had to get Riley into RAD (and out of the damned house) as soon as possible. He still wasn't happy with the last minute inclusion, but what's done was done and now the paperwork was finished so hopefully it would be smooth sailing from here on out. All he hoped for was no more sudden surprises as their two humans got settled into their new temporary life within the Devildom.

Though perhaps Lucifer would still have to talk with Leviathan about shirking his responsibilities. It would appear his younger brother had assumed Lucifer assigning him as Grimm's guardian was only a suggestion. Well he certainly had another thing coming if that were the case.

Lucifer made a mental note to punish Levi later as he finally reached the door to his room, hoping to catch just enough shut eye that Diavolo wouldn't be scolding him for his darkened eyebags the next day.

Pushing open his room door, Lucifer came to an immediate stop as it quickly became apparent that his bed was currently occupied. And also coated in cat hair.

Laying smack dab right in the middle, looking even tinier than she was, was the humans' damned cat, sleeping away as if she owned the bed she laid on. Lucifer crossed his arms.

"Absolutely not!”


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content Warning: There's some drinking and drunken shenanigans in this chapter.

"So this is a demon school huh?" Riley said as he walked beside Grimm within the hallways of RAD, curious as he glanced about the area. "I guess it's not so different than a human world school."

"Riley, you've never been to a school before," Grimm stated with a small chuckle.

"I'm sure they're all the same," Riley huffed as he fiddled with a button on his uniform, looking completely misplaced wearing it. He had thrown it on hastily that morning, not knowing the first thing about putting on the complex outfit. Already he had lost the vibrant red shoulder cape, which just left him with the obnoxiously red boots Asmo had gotten him to match. That morning in the dining room, Lucifer had taken one look at Riley before shaking his head and walking away without a word. So clearly whatever Riley was going for had worked.

"Good morning, Simeon, Luke!" Riley heard Grimm call out as they reached a doorway, the former being brought to attention. Standing there was two other exchange students Grimm had mentioned, angels, he could tell by the unnatural and almost ethereal way they held themselves.

"Mm?" The taller one, Simeon, hummed as he turned to look as the two humans approached. His gaze landed on Grimm before drifting over to Riley where it stayed, taking him in. "Oh, hello Grimm and this must be your brother. We've heard a lot about you."

"Same here," Riley muttered as they came to a stop beside the others. He stared down the angel, not wanting to come off as intimidated, even as he looked away to glance at the smaller one before turning back with a sarcastic smirk on his face. "You're angels right? I'll have to pick your brain later, I'm just dying to hear all about the Celestial Realm."

"Of course, you do," Luke said with a bounce, not having caught on to the human's tone, "it's a lot better than the Devildom!"

"Hmm," Simeon hummed, actually having caught something he found intriguing within Riley's tone. "An interest in the divine, Riley?"

"You could say something like that," Riley gritted his teeth and left it at that, looking away. As angels, Riley knew they were probably nice enough, but something about being so close to them made him.... uncomfortable. More so than the demons, and that was saying something. He knew it wasn't necessarily because of what they were and more so the idea of it all. Riley supposed he had long since stopped believing in any sort of higher power. Yet here they all were, chilling with angels and demons in hell.

Speaking of which.... One had just walked past them, far closer than would be deemed appropriate even here in the Devildom, rudely shoving by. Riley gritted his teeth as he stepped aside, but just as he did so, he heard Grimm let out a pained yelp as she jumped to the side, practically falling into him. He was quick to catch his sister, steadying her with a hand on her shoulder, her brows were knitted tightly together, lip trembling.

"What's wrong?" Riley asked alarmed, ignoring the similar concerned questions the angels had thrown out as well. Grimm lightly lifted up her leg to rub at her ankle.

"I think he lashed me with his tail," she muttered and instantly Riley could feel a white hot rage boil within his chest. He clutched his fist, which Grimm was quick to notice as she looked him in the eye with furrowed brows. "Riley, it's fine- oh not again."

Grimm hadn't even the chance to finish as Riley rushed off after the demon that had dared hurt his sister, leaving her to fret over his safety again. Grimm frowned as she watched Riley grip the demon's shoulder to spin it around to face him, the humanoid demon lashed its tail against the floors as if demanding to know what the big deal was. Riley yelled back and soon enough the two of them were spatting at one another.

"Well your brother certainly is eccentric," Simeon chuckled as he watched the event unfold with amusement. Grimm would have proudly agreed with Simeon at any other time, but not when Riley was at risk of getting his head ripped off. Grimm was just about to hurry off to Riley's side to help him fight off the demon when Simeon had sat a gentle hand on her shoulder to keep her from doing so. She frowned at him.

"Are you okay, Grimm?" Luke asked, bringing Grimm out of her thoughts. "Did that demon hurt you?"

"I'm fine," Grimm sighed, "I'm just more worried about Riley."

The argument had escalated to Riley grabbing a hold of the demon's uniform in an attempt to threaten, but considering that said demon had claws the size of knifes on its hand, it probably didn't feel all too intimidated. Only annoyed. It hissed right back in Riley's face, a sound that resembled steam escaping from a teapot. Nearby, other demons had begun to take notice as well.

"Hey, Mammon," one of them called from the crowd, "isn't that the human you have to babysit?"

"Huh?" The Avatar of Greed took notice, spinning around from where he lingered about, only to see Riley about to throw hands with a lesser demon that was still far stronger than a mere human. "Ah damnit it all."

Mammon didn't hesitate as he stomped his way over, passing by Grimm and the angels without so much of a word, "alright break it up before someone rats to Lucifer."

Riley let out a surprised yelp as Mammon snatched him up and away from the other demon as though the human didn't weigh a thing. The lesser demon spun around to face whoever had dared interrupt his near-fight with Riley, but upon seeing it was one of the seven lords, the demon was quick to shrink back. Mammon glared it down and gnashed his teeth together with a silent snarl, that was enough to make the lesser demon make a run for it. The Avatar of Greed rolled his eyes before nearly dropping Riley unceremoniously onto the ground, the human desperately trying to squirm out of his grasp.

"Ya got a death wish?" Mammon growled as he tossed Riley back onto his feet, the human stumbling as he regained his balance. Riley sent a glare at the demon as he brushed off his uniform.

"Lay off," the human spat.

"Why you- is that how ya treat the one that saves your ass?!" Mammon was quick to retort, "the least ya could do is make it worth my while."

And with that the bickering began between the two, practically starting up a second fight, though luckily much less physical than the last. Grimm found herself with a smile appearing on her face as Simeon let out a chuckle.

"Good to see he's making friends," the angel said with his own amused smirk and Grimm couldn't help but to agree with him as she nodded enthusiastically. Luke only looked between the two as if they each had each grown a second head, his brows furrowed.

"If you could call it that...." the smaller angel muttered.

\----

The rest of the day had gone without a hitch and Riley luckily hadn't gotten into any more fights, especially since Lucifer had shown up and practically dragged the human and Mammon away from each other. Likely regretting his decision to pair those two together, though Grimm liked to think they were just showing affection in their own way. Though Mammon and Riley hadn't so much as looked at one another since their run in earlier, it would just take time for the latter to become more adjusted. Riley had always struggled with change, more so than Grimm herself.

Grimm paused the meal she stirred and took a moment to look at her twin brother as he leaned against the countertop, slumped over and looking like a drowned rat. Currently the two had been given the task to help each demon cook dinner whenever it was that one's night to do so, finding it a fair way to separate a seven day weekly schedule between nine people. Technically the human twins were supposed to be only helping Asmodeus cook tonight's dinner, but the Avatar of Lust was more than happy to let Grimm take over for him. Preferring to quietly go over each piece of silverware in the kitchen to make sure it was clean enough to see his reflection in.

"Are you alright," Grimm asked when she was sure Asmo would be far too distracted with himself to listen in on their conversation. "You've been a bit off today.... More than usual."

She thought about Riley's quick reflexes to glare at every single thing that dared give him a second glance. Not to mention how tense and ridged he held himself all day. Riley looked at her and opened his mouth before shutting it like a fish, as though looking for the appropriate way to explain himself. He hesitated as he glanced at Asmo, but upon seeing the demon making kissy-faces at his own reflection, Riley let out a relieved sigh.

"I guess I'm just feeling a bit trapped, you know?" Riley murmured as he wrapped his arms around himself, "I hate not being allowed to go off on my own without some damned escort."

Grimm guessed that made a lot of sensed, back in the human world, Riley had always been a bit of a loner. When he wasn't working one of several jobs, he was heading off to the local clubs to express himself in the only ways he knew how. Yet, despite all of that, he always made sure to spend as much time as he could spare with Grimm and for that she was thankful.

"Beel and I were going to go on a run tomorrow before school," Grimm spoke up from where she continued to cook, "you could join us."

"Ugh, when I said I want to be alone," Riley huffed, "I meant without a demon breathing down my neck."

"They're not so bad," Grimm frowned, "you should try giving them a chance."

"Demons-" Riley began and Grimm knew he was getting stuck on it and it was sad, how old habits were so hard to get over.

Even after all these years.

"It's just a word, Riley," Grimm said calmly, her soft voice still managing to get her brother to settle. "Our father's church called people like us demons too, you know."

"That's.... different...." Riley muttered as he looked away, face flushed as he crossed his arms, signaling that the conversation was over. The two of them fell silent as Riley went over Grimm's words, because he knew she had a point, and perhaps his old beliefs about demons and angels were getting in the way of proper reasoning. Riley could feel his stomach churn and suddenly he wasn't all too hungry anymore. From the other side of the room, Asmodeus broke his staring content with his own reflection to glance at the two humans.

"Mm, I smell dinner," came Beelzebub's voice as the large demon popped his head into the kitchen, tentatively sniffing at the air.

"Oh!" Grimm said as she turned to look at him, a small smile on her bright face, "you smell correctly."

"I always do," Beel returned the smile and Riley fought the urge to roll his eyes, because Grimm was right, he should at least attempt to be nicer. Out of all of the demons within the house, Beel was one of the few along with Satan, that Riley felt no contempt for. He was just kind of there, hungry and vibing with food, to which Riley could appreciate. Beelzebub was also kind to Grimm, which was the most important thing in Riley's book.

"I thought Asmo was supposed to be the one cooking?" Beel asked as he slunk into the room, nervously rubbing his hands together.

"I consider myself as more of a supervisor," Asmo finally spoke up as he put his silverware back where it belong. He happily purred as he took the two humans and his brother in his sights instead, "I'm sure Grimm and Riley don't want me hovering over them the whole time."

He looked straight at Riley as he said it making the other tense, wondering if the demon actually had been listening in on their conversation. Riley was quick to shake it off.

"No, not even Beel would want me to touch your food, trust me," Riley said as casually as he could muster, though he felt his tone may have still had some bite to it. Asmo smiled either way, a suspicious little thing that Riley wasn't sure he enjoyed too much.

"I'm sure it's not as bad as Solomon's cooking," the Avatar of Lust said as Beel turned towards the meal Grimm was preparing, hovering over it. Luckily she didn't seem to mind, instead choosing to exchange a joyful look with her brother. However, that was all it took for her bowl of ingredients to become a whole lot lighter.

"Beel!"

"Sorry...."

\----

Later that night, after Grimm got back from her run and Riley had been forced to sit through a dysfunctional sham of a "family dinner", he found himself pacing the floors of their bedroom. 'Their bedroom' was a loose term, Riley refused to take ownership of it because as far as he was concerned, 'their bedroom' was back in a tiny apartment in the Business District of New Orleans.

The thought made Riley's stomach twist and he felt a tad queasy, it wasn't much, but it was their home and he missed it. Riley let out a sigh as he scraped his shoe lightly across the floor. This was no room for him, it was a cage. A cage that had a pretty coat of paint and lots of plants.

"Riley you're making Cleo nervous," Grimm stated from where she laid on her bed, already snuggled up under her covers, ready to go to sleep for the night. She appeared content after her run and in the very least Riley was glad his sister could stretch her legs in a way she was used to and made her happy. He only wished he could do the same. He turned to look at her, noticing Cleo at the edge of Grimm's bed, staring at Riley with eyes the size of the moon. Riley was quick to mumble an apology before meandering his way over to the window, leaning against it as he looked out. From his vantage point, he could see over the tops of the trees and in the distance, the neon lights of the Devildom's central city. He supposed it wasn't much different from New Orleans, another city that never slept, but at least they had day light back home. 

Currently Riley only knew what time it was by the clock on his D.D.D. which let him know it was late. He hummed as he stared down the distant city, wondering what nefarious things were going down and yet.... Riley found his mind wandering back to the club scene, he wondered if the clubs were any different in the Devildom than they were in the human world? Did demons really know how to party.

The itch was back and along with it was a hollowness in Riley's gut as he recalled a few of his club escapades. Staying out till the first light of morning, dancing his heart out and drinking a variety of things he couldn't remember the names of. Sometimes he'd go home with someone and sometimes he wouldn't. It was all so very freeing, something that brought him a level of control he never had before he and his sister first arrived in New Orleans. It was something he had grown used to and now that he was cut off from it, he realized the lack of his own autonomy was beginning to make him more than a little stir-crazy.

And just like that, it was decided.

"I think I'm going to hit the town," Riley said as he would have any night back home. "You wanna come with?"

Grimm poked her head out of the covers, a clear frown on her face, "and watch you grind on random demon dudes? No thanks."

Riley chuckled as he spun on his heel to walk straight to their shared dresser, stooping down to ruffle through the clothes inside his own drawer. This made Grimm perk up slightly as she sat up.

"Wait you're seriously going?" Her joking tone had turned to one of concern, frown deepening as she watched Riley pull out the crop top Asmodeus had gotten for him. Riley's eyes scanned over the piece of clothing, it was black and a size too small for him, somehow just the way he liked his club-clothes. The demon surprisingly had him read like an open book. Riley glanced at Grimm and smiled to calm her worries.

"I really need this," Riley said and when Grimm didn't look convinced, he stood and went to her side. He plopped his hand on top of her head and briefly ran his fingers through her hair, "I won't be out too long."

"Alright...." Grimm murmured as she leaned forward to wrap her arms around her brother's midsection for a tight hug. "But be careful, Lucifer says it's dangerous out there without a guide."

"Pff, who cares what Lucifer says?" Riley rolled his eyes as Grimm released her hug, allowing him to finish getting ready. He walked back to the dresser to snag a pair of shorts with fishnet leggings, another gift from Asmo, before hopping over to the bathroom. Grimm's voice followed after him.

“You will, when you get in trouble,” Grimm sighed as she bunkered back down into her blankets, Cleo clambering over to curl up next to her. “I won’t snitch on you, but the longer you’re gone, the riskier it is."

Riley grinned as he threw on his outfit, what was a couple of hours of fun? Lucifer barely gave him much of a second glance, so surely Riley wouldn’t be missed in that time. Especially if Lucifer was holed up in his office like he often was. With a smirk not even the chill of the Devildom could chase away, Riley bounded out of the bathroom. Grimm glanced his way and while she was no stranger to seeing her brother wear skimpy party-wear, her brows still furrowed in concern.

“Take a jacket,” she said, “you’ll catch a cold.”

“Only because it’s you that asked,” he responded as he walked over to where his coat was draped over one of the table chairs. Snatching it up, he tossed it over his shoulder rather than put it on before waving, “don’t wait up for me.”

“You know I always do anyway,” Grimm called after Riley as he slunk out of their bedroom with a quick ‘good night’ and ‘love you!’ He tiptoed into the hallway, making sure to quietly shut the door behind him, glancing towards both ends of the long hall to make sure there were no demons lurking about. It was late and while Riley was sure most of them were still awake, he saw not a single sight of one, making a guess they were off doing other things. Probably couldn't be bothered to deal with the two humans that were thrust into their lives while they were safe and sound in the house. Well, currently anyway.

Riley smirked as he hurried down the hall, the old floorboards creaking under his feet despite his attempts to try and be silent as could be. Each step made Riley wince and toss glances behind himself, feeling as though there would be a pair of red eyes staring him down with a certain kind of disappointment that was all huffs and crossed arms. The image of it made Riley's stomach churn to the point where he had to grit his teeth to keep himself from gagging. It was a muscle memory he hadn't been able to squash even after all these years.

Shaking his head, Riley paused as he came across the hallway that turned off into the house's main entrance. It would make sense for him to go that way, it would be the simplest way to leave the house and yet.... Riley felt an uncertain tingle go down his back. Getting caught by Lucifer was the last thing Riley wanted to happen and so he gave up his hopes for an easy escape and instead headed off into the direction opposite of where the front door was.

Instead he crept his way further down the maze of hallways, looking every which way for another door or something else that would lead him to the outside world. Eventually he came across a window, curiously peering out of it to see that the ground was not so far away, a cluster of flowering bushes sitting neatly right below as if they were there to break his fall. Riley hummed as he surmised the drop wasn't so bad, certainly not as bad as it would have been if he tried to sneak out through the window in his room. With that, Riley unlatched the window's locks and carefully slid it upwards.

Whelp, it was now or never.

Riley clambered onto the windowsill, tossing his legs over before hesitating and taking a deep breath. He refused to think about the drop, less he chicken out, it wasn't high and yet.... Riley shook the thoughts from his head and, not wanting to return to Grimm so soon with his tail between his legs, plunged down from the window and into the garden below.

Only it was not soft bushes Riley was met with when he landed.

Instead, the human collided with another person's body, the two of them letting out pained yelps as they both slammed into the frosty Devildom dirt. Riley groaned as he attempted to pull himself up, a jolt of pain going through his back and joints almost as if he had been shocked. Not exactly his smartest idea.

"Oi, what gives?" A familiar voice growled from a few feet away, "ya trying to fly away?"

Riley clenched his fists around deadened grass with a grimace, oh just his luck. With a huff, he rolled over to face the one he had unfortunately landed on, leaning back as casually as he could to play it off, as though he hadn't just fallen from the second story of a building.

Mammon had quickly recovered, already standing straight up and dusting the dirt off his pants. Riley carefully watched each of the demon's movements as he ran his finger's through his frazzled hair to flatten it, a small bird-like chirp escaping from his lips. The human felt that familiar uncertain itch in his skin, but this time Grimm's words about demons echoed within his mind and he managed to shove it down. If only a little bit.

Mammon finally stopped his preening and glanced at Riley from the corner of his eye. His blue and golden gaze flicked over the human's form below him, the partywear he wore allowing most of his skin to be out and on display. Mammon's face instantly gained a vibrant shade of red as he was quick to advert his sights with a loud and surprised squawk.

"Wha!" Mammon gasped out as he attempted to cover up his eyes with his hands, though it was a poor effort as he still managed to look at Riley through the gap between his fingers. "Why're ya dressed like Asmo?"

"Oh, this?" Riley asked with a smirk as he looked down at the crop top that hugged his skin so closely that it left little to the imagination. "I'm going partying. What are YOU doing here?"

"Wouldn't ya like to know," Mammon was quick to retort, lowering his arms back down as if he was over the initial shock, though his blush still remained. It made Riley smile as it gave him a small sense of familiarity. Mammon's twitchy movements and chirping wasn't something Riley was used to, but the look.... The look reminded Riley of the occasional look he'd receive from other men, all half-lidded eyes and dark smiles. It was odd to admit, but seeing Mammon all flustered like that was rather amusing and.... exciting.

Riley grinned and lightly tugged on the fishnet stockings under his shorts, “liking what you see, Mammon?”

That made the demon sputter as he finally broke his gaze and spun around.

“Don’t flatter yourself!” Mammon huffed, “I’m just thinking about how you’re gonna get eaten if ya go out lookin’ like that.”

Riley was ready to further tease him, but at hearing his words, he hesitated. Instead looking off towards the darkened forest that surrounded the house. In all honesty, Riley didn’t plan this far ahead and didn't know what to do once he actually got outside.

The crunch of dead grass met the human's ears as Mammon began to walk away from him, making Riley panic as his only hope of escape began to leave.

"Wait, where are you going?" Riley called after the demon, Mammon not even sparing a look back as he tossed a single wave. Even in the dark, Riley could tell the tips of his ears were still flushed.

"No time for babysittin' ya, I'm hittin' the town," Mammon said with a new found confidence as he tossed his nose up in the air. "I gotta hurry out of here before Lucifer catches us."

At that, Riley scrambled up onto his feet and hurried after his so-called guardian, a sly grin forming on his face as he bounced to Mammon's side.

"What a coincidence," Riley said, "that's what I'm doing too."

"Wha? Then go a different way!" Mammon snapped without so much as looking at Riley, almost like he was refusing for whatever reason. Well, Riley could make an educated guess as to why and it made him chuckle, thinking all he had to do to fluster a demon was dress a little skimpy. Riley lightly skipped ahead of Mammon before spinning around to fully face him while putting his hands behind his head to stretch out his limbs. His back popped and relieved some of the ache that had settled its way into his joints during his fall, allowing a small sigh of relief. Mammon's hair bristled and lightly fluffed up at the sight.

"Come oooon," Riley whined, "I don't know my way around this place yet. I just wanna go clubbing!"

Mammon groaned at the human's insistence and otherwise attempted to ignore him as the two of them made their way through the darkened forest. The demon picked up his pace and practically power-walked in his hurry to get to the city before being noticed by his older brother. Riley jogged to keep up, still smiling at Mammon's reactions and eventually the two made it out of the woods and into the city streets. The Devildom looked to be no different during the night than it was during the day, the same neon lights blaring their obnoxious colors on every store front, illuminating the frosty streets to make them appear iridescent. The crisp night air filled Riley's lungs and chilled his bare legs as he followed a few feet behind Mammon, trying not to slip or stumble.

"Can't you slow down?" Riley grumbled as the distance between the two grew greater and greater, it made the cold begin to creep up the human's spine. And it wasn't just the weather causing it. Riley tiptoed past a group of demons milling about in the street, a few of them spared him a curious glance and one even licked it's lips. Oh, so they weren't kidding about him possibly getting eaten. He picked up the pace and scurried off.

Meanwhile, Mammon reached the end of the street and let out a sigh as he stopped and waited for the human to catch up with him, feigning ignorance as he glanced about.

"Ah, thanks for finally waiting," Riley huffed which got an eyeroll out of Mammon.

"Don't flatter yourself," he crossed his arms, "I was just.... uh.... tryin' to find which way the club is."

Riley grinned, "whatever you say."

Mammon grumbled before grabbing a hold of Riley's jacket and tugging him along the rest of the way, ending up right back in the square where Majolish was located. He was about to question what they were doing there when the loud thumping of a distant bass drop interrupted his thoughts and made Riley snap his mouth shut almost instantly. He followed the sound with his eyes and noticed the large violet-colored building down the road a little ways, the place was illuminated by so many vibrant lights that it almost looked to be glowing. (Though perhaps it actually was?)

Riley was only given a second to take it in before Mammon was dragging him away once again.

"Easy there, tiger," Riley huffed as they approached the building, "at least buy me dinner first."

That made Mammon squawk as he finally released the human, crossing his arms in a tizzy as he stomped over to the door.

Riley chuckled as he hurried after his somewhat-chaperone, the two of them being engulfed by the building's shadow and having to crane their necks up to look at it. The glittering lights reflected off Riley's pink irises and made them practically sparkle, the neon sign above him that read 'The Fall' shone against his hair to make it appear purple. A rush of excitement filled Riley as he rushed off to the door, Mammon having to call after him as the human was able to enter the building without problem. They had velvet ropes, but unlike clubs in the human world, there was no bouncer stationed at the door. Upon entering, Riley instantly froze in wonder and Mammon nearly crashed into him had he not slid to a stop in time, panting and grumbling about the impulsive human.

The club was much different than any of the ones Riley had been to back home, and in all honesty he had assumed a club in hell would be seedy as.... well, HELL. However, that was far from the truth as he walked under a fanciful archway supported by Greek-styled pillars and glanced around the large open space, taking in the twinkling lights. In the middle of the room grew a tree much like the one in the room he shared with Grimm, and above that hung glass chandeliers, while various couches and cushions were placed throughout the room. Various demons of every shape and size lounged about on them, while others flitted about the room carrying trays of drinks and food as they served their customers.

Despite everything, all of his feelings about being stuck down here in the Devildom and being forcibly taken away from his home, Riley couldn't help but smile. This club was so different it gave him a rush of excitement. He couldn't help but to look back to Mammon, with his wide eyed stare and jaw-dropping awe. The demon, as it would turn out, had already been staring at Riley and went ridged at having been caught. He looked away.

"You act like you've never been to a club before," he grumbled.

"Nothing like this one," Riley let out a content sigh as he decided to leave Mammon be and tease him no further. The human instead shrugged off his jacket, glancing about to see if there was a suitable place to deposit it while he enjoyed what the Fall had to offer. He met the eyes of a few demons that lounged on the couch, one of them purring curiously as it took him in. Riley shied away from them as his gaze scanned over the dancefloor located on the other side of the large room. The majority of demons were clustered together there, grinding and twirling around just like the dancefloor of any human world club Riley had gone to. Though he could admit he hadn't been to any yet that had cage-dancers, so he found that to be a neat touch as his eyes flicked upwards from the dancefloor to the cages extended a few feet above it.

This was definitely one of those high-end places, and Riley was going to enjoy the shit out of it.

"Oooh, do my eyes deceive me?"

Well it was nice while it lasted.

Riley turned back towards the dancefloor, to see a familiar demon shove through the crowd to make his way over towards the human. At first Riley had barely recognized Asmodeus, having not seen him with his wings and horns out on full display, and quite frankly it took him by surprise. He had nearly forgotten that yes his roommates for the year did in fact have a more demonic look to them than he had seen thus far. Riley took a nervous step back as Asmo cleared the rest of the way between them with a single flap of his wings, the Avatar of Lust landing right in front of the human with a dainty step. Asmo flashed a smile, his teeth now sharper than usual, almost as if his fangs were serrated. Not that Riley could really get a good look of them, being far more distracted by the fact the demon's skin appeared to glow a vibrant blue under the backlight, and it made it more abundantly clear that Asmodeus and the rest of them were not of the same realm as Riley.

"Why if it isn't my third favorite human and my sixth favorite brother!" Asmo chirped as he made grabby hands for Riley that the human dodged from. Riley and Mammon exchanged a look, both of them doing the math in their heads before snapping their gazes to Asmo.

"Hey!" The said in unison, but Asmo ignored them as his glowing eyes looked Riley up and down.

"You look so nice in that," the demon said, a playful purr escaping from deep within his chest as he again made a motion to put his hands on Riley. The other let out a defeated sigh as he finally leaned towards Asmo, allowing the demon to snake his arms around him and pull him close. Asmo let out a happy chirp as he bounced on his heels, lightly tugging Riley along.

"I have a permanent VIP room here, you must come hang out in it," Asmo said with a glance back towards the couches full of demons that continued to stare down the only human in the club. "It'll get us away from this rift raft."

Well if you can't beat them, join them. Riley was here to party and have fun, he supposed he could ignore the fact they were all demons, even despite the wings, just for tonight.

"Sounds like a plan," he said to which Asmodeus practically leaped with joy as he pulled the human along, leaving Mammon to have hurry if he wanted to keep up with the two of them. Asmo pulled Riley under another archway, this one leading to a silk curtain that hid away the VIP room from the rest of the club.

"You aren't leading me to an orgy, right?" Riley asked, his nose wrinkled up at the thought, Asmo chuckled at him.

"No, though I can't make any promises that it won't turn into one~" The demon said as he pulled back the curtain to reveal what was basically a glorified sitting room with lavish plush cushions and furniture that looked far more expensive then the ones in the other room. Which was saying something. There were several demons lounging about the room, all with either pink or red wings and horns scantily clad, and looking at the new comers as if they were something to eat. 

Ah, so these must be Succubi and Incubi, Riley realized.

One of the succubus' eyes glittered as she took in the human, sprawling her body across the coffee table in the center of the room to get a better look. Her fluffy tail twitched back and forth, much like a cat studying it's prey.

"Ohh, Lord Asmodeus," she purred, "did you bring a meal for everyone?"

Riley felt his spine go ridged as he instinctively sent a glare towards the Succubus, though she only responded with a slow blink. Asmo opened his mouth as if to give her a retort when Mammon shoved his way through to point a claw at the she-demon.

"Hey, no one's allowed to eat this human!" He spat, practically putting himself between Riley and the succubus, which made her bristle as a hiss escaped from her lips. Mammon was quick to return a growl, the two standing off against one another. Riley watched dumbfounded, his eyes flicking between the two of them. Asmodeus cleared his throat as he turned towards his older brother, looking amused.

"I don't remember you being on the VIP list, Mammon," he smiled which made the other sputter as he whirled on Asmo instead.

"What?!" Mammon snapped in a huff, "doesn't matter if I am or not, I'm the great Mammon!"

Asmodeus didn't look too won over, but Mammon refused to back down as he stared his younger brother down with his chest puffed out. Riley found himself unable to contain a small smile from breaking out onto his face, especially as the demon was more than willing to put himself between the human and possible danger. Huh, Mammon did that back at RAD too.

"He's cool to hang," Riley said before he could really think about what he was saying. Both demons snapped their gazes to him in surprised, neither of them having expected Riley to take a side. It didn't take long for them to get over it, however, and Mammon to send Asmo a smug smirk. Though the lust demon didn't appear upset by the fact as his Cheshire grin slowly made an appearance.

"Oh, alright then, as long as he's not bothering you," Asmodeus said with a wave of his hand as if dismissing the two of them before turning on his succubi and incubi. "That goes for the rest of you too. Riley is our guest and if he doesn't want you to do something then don't do it. And if you go against his wishes, we just might have one of you for dinner instead~"

The succubus let out a yelp as she stood up straight, frantically nodding in a desperate attempt to keep on the Avatar of Lust's good side. The rest of them all continued with whatever they had been doing before Riley and the other's arrived, be it drinking or making out. Though a few of them still lingered glances towards the human, unable to take their eyes away from a sight so uncommon within the Devildom. Mammon continued to glare at those that stared.

"Well now that that's over," Asmo huffed as he dusted off his skin-tight pants, tucking his four bat-like wings close to his body. "Please take a seat."

Riley nodded and followed Asmo to one of the unoccupied couches within the VIP room, stiffly sitting on the edge as if he were at a doctor's office or their elderly neighbor's apartment. Mammon collapsed in the space next to him, sprawling out his limbs, as Asmo took the other side with an eye roll.

"Relax," the demon said as he lightly tugged on the human to lean back a bit, Riley sighed in defeat and followed suit. "You act like you've never been to a club before, but that's not true, I can smell your past on you."

Riley frowned at that, "never clubbed with demons before."

"That's your first problem," Asmo responded as he motioned toward an incubus that carried a tray of drinks. "You keep seeing us as something different, human or demon, but we're all just sluts here, Riley."

Mammon sputtered as Riley let out a dry laugh, not having expected that one.

"I'm no lust demon," the human retorted as Asmodeus took the tray of drinks and offered him one. "How do you know if I'm a slut?"

"Honey, you said it yourself, I'm the embodiment of lust," Asmodeus said as Riley scanned over the fancy champagne glasses before taking one with a red liquid inside. "I can smell your lust on you and the fact you've been with more than a few people. Not that I'm shaming or anything, we don't do that down here in the Devildom."

"Oh yea?" Riley asked, only half listening as he tentatively sniffed at the drink, it smelled fruity, before taking a cautious sip. "How many people have I been with then?"

Asmo hummed as if thinking it over, "that'll take me longer to figure out, I've already had a few and my sniffer is a bit off right now."

With that Asmodeus sipped on his own drink, though Riley was skeptical about what he had said. It was odd really, as the conversation died away and they were left with the noise of the distant dancefloor and the smacking of succubi lips as a few of them got more than a little frisky with each other. Despite it all, Riley found himself to be.... comfortable. He smiled as he downed his drink, feeling like it was a little piece of home, though the drink itself had little effect on him. From the corner of his eye, he could see Mammon look at him as discretely as he could. Cute.

Riley felt himself flush before chasing away the thought, he couldn't be going around thinking such things. He'd never hear the end of it from Grimm.

Asmodeus hummed as he looked around at his entourage of demons before leaning into Riley's side, his face flushed a bit from his drink and a lazy smile on his face.

"Would it be alright if I scented you, Riley?" Asmo asked, wide-eyed and earnest, "that way no one will mess with you, they'll know who you're with."

He emphasized it with a playful wink that had Riley taken aback, he thought back to what Diavolo had told him about scenting and what he had learned in class so far.

"You can't scent him," Mammon's cry broke through Riley's clouded thoughts, "he's not your's!"

"Oh, well does he belong to you, Mammon?" Asmo asked, giving his brother a sharp and yet knowing look, "would you like the honor?"

"N-No" Mammon stuttered as he deflated and turned away from Riley's curious stare, "I'm not scenting some dumb human!"

"Your loss," Asmo shook his head before turning back to Riley, "so what do you say? You down?"

"People aren't gonna think we fucked right?" Riley asked, apprehensive as he recalled that it was often a common way for demons to tell others they were taken by another. Asmo giggled at Riley's furrowed brows.

"People are going to think that anyway," Asmodeus said, "buut if it makes you feel better, friends scent one another all the time."

"This drink isn't strong enough," Riley grinned as he looked from Asmo to his glass which was already practically empty.

"I'll buy you human world alcohol from the bar," Asmo was quick to bounce back, "top shelf, anything for my feisty little human."

"Alright, what the hell do I have to lose," Riley let out a sigh as he held out his arm closest to Asmo. The lust demon let out a happy little gasp before practically dive-bombing the human. Riley grunted as he fought to not spill the rest of his drink onto the plush rug below, though he had no doubt Asmodeus would be able to pay for the cleaning if need be. A smile cracked on Riley's face as Asmo wrapped his arms around him in a tight hug, burying his face into the crook of his neck to lightly nuzzle him. "Just watch your horns and absolutely no teeth."

Asmodeus purred up a storm while Mammon pretended to ignore the two, quietly grumbling to himself about it. Riley leaned back and found himself running his fingers through Asmo's hair. It was soft, almost like silk, the tender touches making Asmodeus let out a soft sigh before finally pulling away a few moments later.

"We'll continue this back home," he promised with a wink before standing up and offering Riley his hand. "I do believe I owe you a drink."

Riley reached up to touch where Asmo had basically been necking him, feeling no different than he had before. It made it hard to believe these demons could actually smell anything different as Riley's lower sense of smell could only pick up the common scents of a club. Booze and a little bit of shame.

Either way, Riley took Asmo's hand and allowed himself to be pulled up and tugged back out of the curtain, Mammon following close behind. The group made their way back out onto the main floor, the black lights hitting Asmodeus' skin and making him illuminate once more, which no doubt turned many a demon's head as they went by. Riley was lead towards the dance floor and as they grew closer, he finally noticed behind all the twisting bodies and twirling couples, there was a bar. Asmo guided him to it as they carefully made their way around the dance floor, creeping right under one of the dancer's cages. Riley curiously looked up at the dancer as they went about their way, watching the way she moved her hips like a jittering moth, her beat only slightly off from the music.

"You want a turn in the cage, Riley?" Asmo called over the roar of the crowd, a large toothy grin on his face that made Riley snort.

"No way, those days are behind me," he said with a dismissive shrug.

"Ooooh, were you a stripper or something?" Asmodeus purred in amusement, stepping just a tad bit closer to the human as his wings gave a flutter. Riley hummed as if he were thinking it over, but playfully held his tongue which only made Asmo squirm.

"What?!" Mammon called out as he listened in on their topic of conversation, he crossed his arms with a huff, "how do you know he wasn’t just checkin' out that demoness?!"

Both Asmo and Riley froze before looking at one another and then back at Mammon, a silence rising up around them. Asmo shook his head.

"Mammon...." he let out a tired sigh just as Riley laughed in amusement.

"Because I’m gay," the human said to which Mammon snapped his jaw shut, skin darkening in a blush.

"Y-Yea I knew that!"

Something told Riley he didn't, but at least Mammon had the spirit.

"Anyway I don’t kiss and tell~" Riley murmured, referring to their previous conversation as he twirled around and walked the rest of the way towards the bar. Asmodeus chuckled as he ran to keep up with the human, making grabby hands at him in the hopes Riley would eventually allow the demon to sink his claws into him. Platonically, of course.

Mammon watched them go with a flutter, his eyes carefully watching Riley's movements, it was his job as his guardian after-all. That's the only reason why.

Once they made it to the bar, it wasn't long before Riley had another drink in his hand, this one something he was familiar with from his time frequenting clubs in the human realm. He tossed it down, easily, relishing the burn it gave his throat. It wasn't the most pleasant feeling, but it reminded him of home. Beside him, Asmo began to flirt with one of the other demons at the bar, allowing Riley a moment to breath until Mammon sauntered his way over. The Avatar of Greed hummed as he glanced down at the drink menu before clicking his fangs together in irritation at pricing.

"Rileyyyyy."

"No."

"You don't even know what I was about to say," Mammon grumbled to which Riley let out a sigh.

"I could make a guess," he responded as he turned back around to the bar, curiously watching the large beastly bartender somehow serve drinks with claws the size of kitchen knives. Mammon huffed before his gaze trailed down Riley's body to land on his back pocket where his DDD was held and also quite possibly, a wallet. The demon bit his lip as he carefully reached over to pickpocket the human, however that was extremely close to Riley's ass and Mammon just might lose it if he accidentally touched.

He did really want a drink though. Ah what the hell.

Mammon decided to go for it and yup, that was just a handful of ass. Riley jumped as the demon whipped his hand away and practically leapt back a foot. Two two spun around to face each other, but to Mammon's surprise Riley didn't appear angered and instead had the biggest grin he could muster. The demon of greed stuttered as if trying to come up with an excuse, but he wasn't quick enough.

"Usually when I go to the club, men buy ME drinks," Riley winked, "I tend to make it a rule to not buy those over-priced beverages myself."

"And that's how you do it," Asmo called over his shoulder with a snicker.

"Damn it," Mammon sighed as he turned back to lean against the bar, accepting defeat then and there. He didn't want to make much more of a fuss, accidentally grabbing Riley's ass was punishment enough. Though he could admit it was a rather nice feeling ass, red-faced, Mammon looked at his hand. The traitorous thing.

"It's kind of dumb to carry money to these things anyway," Riley said as he casually reached over towards Mammon's pocket to snatch the demon's wallet instead. "So easy to get it stolen."

"Hey!" Mammon lunged for his wallet as Riley let out a playful laugh and attempted to keep it away from him. The demon grabbed at him as Riley held the wallet over his head before suddenly it was no longer in either of their possessions. The two blinked dumbly before looking over Riley's shoulder to see Asmodeus waving the wallet around before dancing away towards the dancefloor.

"Thank-you~" He sang out as he went on his way, waving Riley over, who wiggled his way out of Mammon's hold before hurrying after the other demon. Mammon crossed his arms to pout, he didn't have any grimm in that thing anyway, but it was the principle in the matter. He quietly stewed as he watched Asmo lead Riley out onto the floor, after pocketing Mammon's wallet to give it back to him later.

Riley was finally beginning to feel the effects of his drink, a nice buzz settling into his head and chasing away the overcomplicated thoughts that kept threatening to ruin his night. Instead, he watched the way Asmo's skin glowed and how he spread out all four of his wings to give themselves a little distance from the rest of the crowd. The other demons made sure to avoid bumping into the Avatar of Lust. Asmo purred and chirped as he bounced around to the beat, Riley unable to stop the grin on his face as he followed along, until the two were practically right up on each other once more. Asmo made sure to scent the human even further. Riley found he didn't mind it, having a demon pressed up against him, it was exciting and it had been a long time since he had indulged in the touch of another. In that moment, Riley didn't see them as a human and a demon, but just a couple of partiers having a blast at a club. Mammon, meanwhile, was far less than enthusiastic.

Seeing Asmo hang all over the human that was supposed to be HIS didn't sit well with the Avatar of Greed, err, the human he was supposed to be watching over. Mammon huffed as he stomped over, shoving his way through the throngs of partying demons, ignoring their annoyed growls.

Riley hadn’t noticed him, far too busy with being Asmo’s pretty little plaything for the night, throwing his arms around the demon's neck to keep his tipsy self from stumbling. Asmo purred all the while as he set his hands on Riley's hips, dangerously close to his ass, pulling the human this way and that as they bobbed and weaved to the music. Until suddenly, Asmodeus was no longer there, Mammon shoving his way in between the two, much to the startled yelp of the Avatar of Lust as he had to catch himself from falling over.

"Do you mind?!" Asmo huffed out as he sent a glare towards his older brother, Riley blinking in surprise at the sudden intrusion, his arms now glaringly empty and slowly growing cold.

"Yea, I don't like ya hangin' all over MY human," Mammon puffed out his chest, though Asmo only appeared amused by the statement rather than angry as he shifted his stance to favor one leg over the other.

"Oh really?" Riley murmured from behind Mammon, making the demon tense as he realized what had come out of his mouth. He turned around to face the other, his mouth gaping like a fish as he tried to find the words to deny what he said. Riley didn't know if it was the drinks or something else, but he found it brought a tickle to his stomach as he smiled. This demon in front of him tried so hard to remain uncaring of the whole situation and failed miserably, which was something Riley could relate to. He definitely needed to let loose as much as Riley did at the start of the day. The human's eyes softened as he offered a hand towards Mammon, the demon staring at it for a moment before accepting the offered limb. Riley pulled himself forward and spun around to press his back up against Mammon's front, a motion that made a surprised yet happy little chirp escape the demon's mouth. Riley nuzzled up against Mammon's chest, "if you wanted to dance all you had to do was ask."

"As if I'd want to dance with ya," Mammon growled in Riley's ear, his voice low and breathy. The Avatar of Greed carefully set his hand upon Riley's hip, unsure but still possessive. "You sure are full of yourself."

"I have to be."

Mammon hummed, not having registered what Riley said as he hovered around the human's neck, wondering if he should scent him or not. Riley smiled as he tilted his head to expose his neck further in offering, but with Asmo's scent still clinging to him so strongly, Mammon only wrinkled his nose in distaste. Instead his grip tightened on the human's hips as he tugged him closer, Mammon fighting against his need to covet all he sees and his own annoyance at Riley's previous antics. He still hadn't forgotten getting kicked into the portal from the human world.

"Either you get down or get off the dance floor," Asmo huffed as he hurried back over to the two, leaping into Riley's arms to essentially sandwich the human between the two demons. Riley grunted as he was roughly pressed even further into Mammon's chest and it was in that moment that the greedy demon's senses came back to him. He snapped his hands away from Riley and attempted to flee from the scene before making anything worse on himself. Without Mammon there to support him, Riley stumbled backwards, taking Asmodeus along with him. The two yelped as they fell back into the retreating Mammon, making him trip right into another demon on the dance floor.

Asmo's wings spread out, catching both himself and Riley before either of them could hit the floor, his arms wrapped around the human as tight as could be without actually bringing harm to him. Riley let out a sigh of relief as Asmo gently place him down onto the floor. The Avatar of Lust shot a glare towards his older brother as Mammon recovered from his own stumble and rubbed the back of his neck with a small growl. Riley followed the demon's gaze to Mammon before looking past him, the demon he had fallen into turned around to face the group, it stood tall covered in muscles and hulked over them.

"Um, guys," Riley stammered as he pulled himself up onto his feet. Asmo was the first to spot the demon and tensed, wings fluttering over Riley's form as if to keep him from the other demon's view. Mammon blinked at the two quizzically before his eyes widened and he dared to turn around.

"Hey, what's the big deal," the demon snapped his large fangs before his eyes narrowed at Mammon. "Wait a minute, don't you owe me money?"

"Ah shit," Mammon stammered, throwing his hands up in defense, "ya must have the wrong guy."

"Nah, I'd recognize you anywhere, Avatar of Greed," the demon spat to which Mammon took a careful step back, glancing towards the entrance to the club before freezing as though he remembered something else. He looked down towards Riley just as the other demon took a step forward.

"Hey, back off," Riley sneered as he stepped past Asmo's wings to the demon that was threatening his guardian. The two demons in Riley's group stared him down with wide eyes while the larger one looked down at him with a sort of annoyed interest. The demon towered over even Mammon and Asmo so compared to Riley it was like a lion staring down a mouse. Despite this, the human refused to budge as he stared down the demon even as his hands began to shake, picturing how easy it would be for such a creature to simply snap his neck.

"Hey wait your turn, morsel," the demon said with a smirk that made a cold chill go down Riley's spine. Mammon's eye caught this almost immediately.

"We really have to be somewhere else," Mammon said before he grabbed onto the human's wrist. Riley yelped as he was suddenly yanked away, Mammon pulling him as quickly as he could. The demon yelled after them as Riley suddenly understood what was happening and put as much strength into his legs as the two of them bolted from the dance floor.

"Hey, wait for me!" Riley heard Asmodeus call out around the same time, he could feel the enormous demon's breath hot on the back of his neck. It snarled and snapped at the two of them as they shoved through other annoyed demons and made their way through the Fall. The next thing Riley knew was they were out the door and into the cold biting air of the Devildom, the streets slick under their feet as the two had to slow down as to not fall. Riley's knees buckled just as their pursuer burst from the Fall's doors, still hot on their heels. The human tensed as Mammon swore under his breath before wrapping his arms around Riley, scooping him up into his arms before he could even get out a complaint.

"What-" was all Riley could get out before the ground vanished and the two of them rose up with a single flap of Mammon's bat-like wings. The demon that chased them leaped up and nearly nicked Riley's foot with a claw, but plummeted back down to the ground, not having the wings to further chase them. Its roar echoed throughout the empty street's as Mammon took to the sky to put even further distance between them, his wings flapping like nobody's business.

"You're kind of heavy," Mammon said as he gritted his teeth, Riley was about to snap back when he just so happened to glance down, taking note of how high up they had become. The demon down below now looked like nothing but an ant. Riley let out a squeak as he flinched back, making Mammon's flight off balanced. "Hey, stop that!"

"Y-Yea, sorry," Riley mumbled as he gripped onto the leather straps of Mammon's outfit, squeezing his eyes shut so he wouldn't have to look down. It definitely hadn't been Riley's proudest moment and he was glad Mammon didn't comment on it, instead the demon just let out a tired sigh. Riley didn't know how long they were up there in the air, possibly only a few short seconds, but to him it felt like an hour has passed by before the harsh winds vanished.

"You can look now," Mammon said as he stepped down from the air, his wings tucked in. Riley blinked his eyes open to see they had landed on a rooftop. "We can hide out here for a bit, that guy won't bug us again."

Riley nodded as Mammon set him down, but as his legs wobbled and he nearly fell back down, he made sure to keep a hand on the demon's shoulder just in case. Few words were said as they caught their breaths, Riley turning to look towards Mammon, just as their eyes briefly met. Mammon's face flushed as he looked away and that was when Riley realized he was still clutching onto the demon for dear life. He cleared his throat and released him, feeling just a tad more stable on his feet now.

"T-Thanks about that," Riley muttered as he staggered towards the edge of the rooftop to sit down against the safety railing. His buzz was practically gone now as he came down from his adrenaline high, the pinpricks of excitement against his skin easing away. Honestly it wasn't a surprise that his evening had gone the way it did.

Riley glanced towards Mammon to see the demon still where he stood, looking towards the other with a mix of uncertainty. And so Riley leaned back and patted the ground next to him in offering, Mammon narrowed his eyes but went along with it anyway, plopping down next to the human.

"Look, I know we don't get along," Riley sighed, averting his eyes. "But, uh, thanks for that and tonight in general. I needed it."

He looked back to see Mammon lounge against the railing, looking out onto the city lights below, they reflected off of his white hair in a similar fashion to the way they did Riley's own. The only difference being how the vast array of color glinted off of the demon's swirling horns and Riley found himself looking at the way they twisted and turned, wondering only briefly what they might feel like.

"It's nothin'," Mammon said after a moment, turning his eyes towards the human, the lack of light making them dark. "Lucifer would've killed me if I let ya get hurt. I was savin' my own skin."

"Sure thing," Riley sighed as he turned away to look towards the dark sky, still not knowing what time it was or how close to morning they were. In the very least at least the stars, or some strange magical imitation of them, shone bright above them to provide an ounce of light. He'd definitely have to take Grimm to look at them sometime, he thought she might enjoy looking up at the stars, it almost made him forget that he wasn't in the human world.

"Damn it," Mammon suddenly growled as he patted his pockets, "Asmo still has my wallet."

"Oh!" Riley piped up as he reached into his own to retrieve the exact item the demon was after. "Almost forgot, it's right here."

Mammon immediately perked up and he snatched his wallet away and hugged it close to his chest, "oh baby I'll never part with ya again."

Riley rolled his eyes as the demon happily purred before he took a peek inside the wallet and visibly deflated, sticking his lip out in a pout.

"Though it'd be a lot nicer if Lucifer didn't take away my goldie," Mammon sighed before stashing away the wallet. He leaned back and stretched out his legs, perfectly content to keep hiding away there for a little bit longer. "Eh, I can just borrow some money from Levi."

Riley had a feeling that 'borrowing' wasn't exactly what Mammon had in mind, but that was none of his business. A small silence rose up around the two as they continued to sit there on the rooftop, the lights of the city still glaring below them, none the wiser to their presence. Mammon took a moment to glance at Riley before he nervously scratched the back of his head as if trying to think of something to say.

"Uh, thanks for getting it back, I guess," Mammon muttered before he lowered his arm and looked at Riley rather quizzically, taking on a new serious tone. "So how'd ya learn how to steal so well?"

"Desperation," Riley shrugged, "I don't really.... like doing it, and I haven't since I was a teenager."

"Hmm, that why ya kicked me out of the human world?" Mammon narrowed his eyes and Riley could almost laugh at the demon's expression if the memory hadn't sparked a clawing anger deep within the human's heart.

"You were going to steal from my neighbors," Riley sneered, "kind of a douche thing to do. They helped me and Grimm out back in the day. You don't bite the hand that feeds you, only the hand that strikes you."

Mammon wanted to retort, but by the look Riley gave him, decided against it. The human was glad for that, he didn't want to dwell on the past, especially there on that rooftop. He was in the Devildom, far from anything they had ever known and as far as Riley was concerned, that night was all about partying anyway.

The sound of flapping wings brought Riley out of his thoughts and made him look over towards Mammon only to see that it was not his wings making the noise. The two looked at one another just as a shadow fell over them, making them yelp in surprise, Mammon practically leaped into Riley's arms as if the human would protect them from any attacker.

"You two making out up here?" Asmo giggled as he took in the sight of Mammon thrown across Riley's lap, "ohh, or are you doing something else~"

"Shuddup!" Mammon huffed as he clambered off of Riley and to his feet, the latter following his lead as they went to stand beside Asmo. "What took ya so long?"

"You can't rush perfection," Asmo placed a well manicured hand upon his chest, his nose up in the air, "but also I couldn't find where you were hiding."

"Whatever, let's just head home," Mammon grumbled as he began to walk away, "I don't want to run back into that guy."

Riley frowned, not yet ready to head back to that stifling house again, so he shuffled his feet until Asmo curiously looked at him.

"Does the Devildom have other clubs?" Riley asked, a languid smile slid onto the demon's face just as Mammon came to a stop.

"Why of course it does, darling."

"Then why head back now?" Riley asked, his nerves evaporating as a smirk grew on his face instead. "The night's still young isn't it?"

A mirroring grin appeared on Asmo that showed off each of his jagged fangs, "ohh I like you're style, Riley!"

The Avatar of Lust bounded over to him to pull the human into a tight hug that had Riley chuckling as he returned it. And he realized that perhaps he was starting to get used to it, even as he caught sight of Mammon glaring their way. Riley released Asmodeus, in turn, but kept a single arm wrapped around his waist to keep him close as he turned towards the other demon with them. Riley motioned for Mammon to come closer.

"You up for that?" He asked, pink eyes shining bright with mischief. As Mammon stared him down, Riley feared perhaps he was about to be denied. He frowned at the thought of not having Mammon there with them. However, the greedy demon spun on his heels and walked back over to the other two, a wild grin on his face.

"Alright, what're we waitin' for?" He asked making Riley jump with joy as he threw his arms around the demon much to his surprise, tugging him along so they could hurry and get a move on before the night was up.

"Lets paint the whole Devildom red!" Asmo cheered as he followed after his brother and the human.

And thus their night had just begun.

\----

Lucifer let out a sigh as finally left his office for the first time that night, having finished his recent plethora of paperwork. Technically he didn't have to be finished with it for the next few days, but he prided himself on keeping ahead of schedule. It was thankfully a quiet night and he was able to finish up without any problems, the usual nuisances left him be and it was quiet for once.... 

Almost too quiet to be fully comfortable. Something didn't sit right with Lucifer, but they were out of his hair so he wouldn't worry about it too much. For now, at least.

The eldest demon passed by the entrance to the common room and froze, the scent of berries and honey wafting over to him. His eyes narrowed as he turned and instead slipped into the room, and sure enough there he found Grimm, dozing off on the couch. Lucifer let out a sigh as he crossed his arms, disappointed and yet not at all surprised by the human. Clearly he should punish her for not being in her room at this hour and being irresponsible enough to simply fall asleep in a place where anyone could come along and bother her. However, seeing the tiny human curled up under a blanket on their massive couch made for those of demon-size, made Lucifer hesitate. Her drowsy state almost reminded him of.... No, he chased the thoughts from his mind.

"Honestly," Lucifer murmured, "and I thought you were going to be the good one."

At the sound of his voice, Grimm's blanket moved and out popped that blasted cat, letting out a loud meow at him that echoed off the walls. Lucifer's brows furrowed at the noisy thing as Grimm began to stir.

"Riley?" She blinked awake, a flash of confusion on her face as she sat up and rubbed at her eyes. Lucifer stood there with his arms crossed as he stared down at the much smaller human.

"Guess again," he said and the change was practically immediate as Grimm leaped up to her feet, back ridged. Cleo was roughly jostled, landing on the floor, along with the blanket, with a small plop, the cat's pelt fluffing up as though offended by the action.

"Ah, Lucifer!" Grimm gasped as she looked up at the eldest demon, concern in her gaze.

"What are you doing out here?" He decided to get straight to the point.

"S-Sorry, I was having trouble sleeping in my room," Grimm said, her voice clear despite the way she fiddled with her hands. An action Lucifer was sure she wasn't even aware of, as she went on, "I thought it'd be nice to sit by the fire for a bit. Guess I finally did fall asleep."

"Well, you should be more careful next time," he scolded, not in the mood to do much more about it considering the time of night it was. "Come along, I'll escort you back to your room."

"Yes, sir," Grimm said, simple and curt and it was odd to have someone actually treat him as such. So much so that Lucifer felt off put by Grimm's politeness, something unsettling about it. Almost as if she were faking it to save her own skin. Well, he supposed he couldn't fault her for that. He carefully watched as Grimm scooped up her blanket and Cleo, keeping them closer to her chest as she side-stepped around Lucifer to head out of the room, and with her, wafted the faintest scent of her brother. 

Well, that was even odder. Usually the two of them were in such constant proximity that you would not find one of their scents without the other and yet currently it smelled as though Riley hadn't been around in a couple of hours. Lucifer narrowed his eyes as he followed closely behind Grimm, sniffing at the air to see if he had perhaps made a mistake, only to find it was an incredibly old scent.

"Have you seen Riley, lately?" Lucifer asked as they reached the humans' bedroom door, "aren't you two usually attached at the hip?"

"Yes," Grimm said, her voice low and shoulders tensed ever so slight. Perhaps the average human or lesser demon wouldn't have been able to see it, but Lucifer was ancient and could tell in a heartbeat when someone was hiding something from him. Grimm glanced at him with a forced smile on her face, "well I'm going to bed, goodnight Lucifer."

"Sweet dreams, as the humans say," Lucifer said as Grimm parted from him, quietly shutting the door behind her. He would respect her space as a reward for her being so compliant for him so far, however, that didn't mean he had to do the same for his brothers. Lucifer spun around and marched down the hallway to Asmodeus' room, throwing the door open without a second thought, only to see the room sparse of his younger brother. The other demon's scent just as old as Riley's had been. Lucifer let out a sigh as he pulled out his D.D.D. going straight to the Devilgram app. Upon opening it, to absolutely no surprise, a picture from Asmo's account was the first post that appeared for him. Posted only five minutes ago.

In it Asmo was clearly attempting to take a selfie with shot glass in hand, though by the way his hair was slightly frizzed out of place, Lucifer could tell his brother had a few already. In the background was their missing exchange student, Riley sitting on Mammon's lap with his middle finger up towards the camera and tongue sticking out. The Avatar of Greed, face flushed from drinking, had his arms wrapped around the human like a lifeline, as if daring anyone to try and take him away.

Lucifer felt a growl begin to bubble its way up from his chest at the mere sight of the three of them. He would have to hurry and get Asmo to delete his posts before Diavolo- nope, he just commented on it. Lucifer's eye twitched as he read over the demon lord's comment: "not my cup of tea, but I'm glad you're all having fun!" Great now he was going to have to explain to Diavolo about how he had misplaced their extra exchange student.

Finally a snarl escaped from Lucifer as his claws curled over his phone.

\----

It was a couple hours later when Riley and his entourage of demons finally decided to pack it up and head back to the house. Full of drinks and a fun time, they stumbled home in the darkness, feeling light upon their feet. Asmo dragged his legs along as if one was made of lead as he posted the rest of the pictures he'd taken, using his wings to help keep himself balanced. The demons had long since stopped being able to maintain their human form in their current state.

"Who knew you could go this hard, Riley," Asmo purred as he scanned a picture of the human doing body shots. Nice. Riley grinned from where he currently hung off of Mammon's arm, the Avatar of Greed being the only thing keeping him from stumbling.

"I work a lot of retail jobs.... to afford our apartment," Riley murmured, "weekend partying keeps me sane."

Asmo hummed as Riley stumbled and nearly fell flat on his face, hadn't it been for Mammon to catch him.

"Hey watch it!" The demon grumbled as he pulled the human back up straight, only for Riley to lean into him instead, fully given up on supporting his own weight.

"Mammoooon, carry me...." Riley whined as he wrapped his arms around the demon's neck, making his wings flutter in surprise.

"What?! Carry yourself!"

"But I'm so tiiiiired...." Riley stuck his lip out and attempted to give Mammon his best puppy-dog eyed stare, which only had the demon sighing out in annoyance as his resolve broke.

"Fine, ya lil shit," he said to which Riley leaped up into Mammon's arms, his legs wrapping around the demon's waist. Mammon had to hurry to catch Riley before the both of them fell, his claws lightly digging into the dark denim of Riley's shorts. The human let out a happy little sigh as he snuggled into the crook of Mammon's neck and hadn't it been for the fact his face was already flushed from drinking, the demon would have blushed.

"So warm," Riley murmured, his lips brushing up against Mammon's skin ever so slightly, causing him to shiver.

"Aww, look, Riley likes you!" Asmo giggled as he limped back to the others, camera at the ready in case he needed it, "you two gonna finally make out?"

"What?! Shuddup!" Mammon spat, jostling Riley ever so slightly, making him tighten his hold.

"Ugh, we could if you'd quiet down," Riley muttered under his breath as he lifted his head, eyes half-lidded and lop-sided smile on his face, "you wanna kiss?"

"I'll drop ya," Mammon huffed and averted his eyes just as Riley leaned in and planted a small kiss on his cheek. Asmo took the opportunity to snap a quick picture before hurrying away as though it were a coveted treasure. Meanwhile, Mammon ignored his brother to look at Riley with wide eyes, the human's grin only growing with the attention.

"Or you could take me to your room...." Riley purred as he sat a hand on Mammon's cheek, gently stroking it until he deemed his head too heavy to lift up, snuggling back up in the demon's chest. Had Mammon been in his right state of mind, he would have scoffed and run away screaming about how dumb this human was, but after the night they just had together, he found his grip on Riley's hips tightening instead.

"Ya wouldn't prefer going with Asmo?" Mammon asked, his thumb easing up slightly to instead rub circles into Riley's skin.

"Nah, you're supposed to be my caretaker aren't you?" Riley hummed from his spot, not even seeming to mind the growl that rumbled deep within the demon's chest. Heck yea, he was right, this was Mammon's human and nobody else's! Sure he might have smelled an awful lot like Asmo in that moment, but Mammon could easily fix that, he was a master of claiming the things that were his after all.

Eventually the group made it to the house and Mammon was eager enough to drag Riley to his room, setting the human down carefully near the front door so he could open it.

"I'm just gonna.... fly up to my room," Asmo carefully sniffed at the air around the door before he fluttered up into the air, much like a drunken moth. "I'll see you two in the morning, have fun~"

With that he quickly vanished into the air and had Riley been sober he would have questioned the safety of flying drunk, but in that moment he couldn't find it in himself to care. The only thing he was focused on was the beating of Mammon's pulse under his lips as he continued to kiss on the demon's neck, receiving a well appreciated purr in response.

The two slipped into the entryway, Mammon glancing about the pitch black room while Riley clutched to him as he slowly slid the door shut, removing what little light there was. It was in the darkness when two eyes slid open, somehow still shining a vibrant red in the darkness and making Mammon let out a shrill shriek that had Riley's head pounding. Lights all around them flicked on, glowing candle embers that were still too bright for their nightlife eyes, making Riley squint to barely make out the form of a sneering Lucifer from across the room.

"And just WHERE have you two been?" The eldest demon snarled, his full fangs on display as he bared them at his younger brother, forcing Mammon to cower behind Riley.

"Ah, Lucifer!"

"Well?" Lucifer asked as he took a step closer to the duo, his hair fluffed out as he bristled, his anger on full display. Riley looked between the two, his eyes narrowed upon seeing Mammon shrink in on himself in an attempt to look smaller. Riley took a step away from Mammon to stumble his way over towards Lucifer, the older demon breaking away his glare to instead turn it on Riley.

"He was just...." Riley tripped right into Lucifer's chest, the other grunting as he caught the human before he could take a bad fall, his hand resting upon his back. Riley groaned as he sat his hands on Lucifer's chest, ready to push himself off but he hesitated as his fingers splayed out across the wide expanse of muscle. A small 'oh' escaped Riley as his eyes shown as though he were seeing the stars for the first time, Lucifer only shook his head and grabbed a hold of the human's wrists to remove his hands. Lucifer's nose wrinkled up as Riley's natural scent was completely covered up with the smells of whatever he had been drinking and Asmo's possessiveness, though the human was unaware of this as he finished his sentence, "....showin’ me around."

"Y-yea...." Mammon muttered under his breath, too focused on the way Riley and Lucifer's bodies were touching to make a better defense. Lucifer just shook his head as he sat a firm hand on the drunken Riley's shoulder to lean him back, it was then that the demon caught sight of what the other wore. His eyes flicked over the size-too small crop top and milky-white belly bared for the entire Devildom to see, not to mention the extra skin exposed from his shorts and fishnet tights becoming tattered throughout the night. Evidence that one, or perhaps both, of his brothers had gotten a little too frisky with their human exchange student that night. It made Lucifer growl, his fingers and claws clenching around the fabric of Riley's top, making it match the rest of his clothing.

"You like what you see, Lucifer?" Riley whined as the cold chill hit where his skin was now exposed, making Lucifer blink out of his daze as the human tried to cuddle up closer to him. Lucifer held onto Riley's shoulder to keep him at a distance, huffing out at this annoying little human.

"I was actually just wondering where it requires you to dress inappropriately and smell like booze?" Lucifer asked to save face, shaking off the feral instincts that threatened to bubble to his surface. Both Riley and Mammon remained silent as they stared at Lucifer with dazed and drunken eyes, so he saw it as an opportunity to retake control of the situation.

"The two of you are representing not only the exchange program," Lucifer began, though he felt he had explained this far too much already. If it hadn't already sunk in, he doubted it would at all, "but also Diavolo and this is how you wish to tarnish that image?"

"Hey Asmo was there too!" Mammon called out, quick to throw his younger brother under the bus.

"And he’ll also be receiving a punishment too," Lucifer growled as he turned towards his brother, suddenly remembering his presence. "Now the only question is if I should hang you from the chandelier or the balcony?"

Mammon let out a yelp as Riley's eyes narrowed once more as if he remembered the reason he leaned up against Lucifer was because he wanted to protect Mammon. Riley pointed his finger as if to be stern, but his hand swayed and he ended up pointing towards a chair directly behind Lucifer rather than the demon himself.

"H-hey, I don’t care if you’ve got nice...." Riley's eyes scanned Lucifer up and down, "shoulders, you leave him alone."

"Oh?" Lucifer purred in amusement, "what are you going to do about it, weak little human?"

"I’ll...." Riley's voice fell away as he continued to look down Lucifer's chest, gaze landing on his crotch, "I’ll suck your-"

And with that Lucifer gripped his hand right across Riley's mouth to stop the words from coming out, this was beginning to give him a headache. "That’s enough of that, ugh, just go to your rooms."

"Alright, you heard him Riley, let’s go-" Mammon said as he walked over to gather up the human.

"Separately!" Lucifer snarled much to Mammon's disappoint as the former could only shake his head in distaste, pulling out his D.D.D. to send a quick message. "I’ll have Grimm come get Riley, Mammon you get out of my sight before I change my mind."

"Yea yea, alright," Mammon huffed before he turned to Riley, practically yanking the human out of Lucifer's arms to cuddle up to him. Riley responded in kind and Lucifer could see now why his clothes were so tattered as Mammon greedily clutched at the human, just short of actually scenting him. Lucifer crossed his arms as he watched Riley hug Mammon, his back arching ever so slightly to have as much of themselves touching as could be, the sight completely vile to the eldest demon. "I’ll see you later~"

Lucifer rolled his eyes as Mammon parted from Riley and hurried off before he actually could get punished, and good ridden with him. The eldest began to think perhaps it was a bad idea assigning the two together, had he known how similar they were, he never would have created such a chaotic duo. How disappointing. His brothers had no shame in being so obvious towards the humans, just because they were shiny new toys they could play with. Sure, as Lucifer looked upon Riley and the paper-thin clothes he wore, he wanted nothing more than to sink his claws into that pale flesh, but he was only a demon. They were all hungry like that. However, unlike his brothers, Lucifer prided himself on being able to keep off those more wild instincts.

"Riley!" Came Grimm's concerned wail from the top of the steps as she hurried down them, breaking away Lucifer's impure thoughts. He turned to look at her, thankful she was here to take away her wretched brother and yet.... Lucifer carefully watched as Grimm threw out a slew of apologies that barely met his ears before she grabbed a hold of her brother. Riley let out a gasp, as though genuinely surprised to see her before tossing his arms around her neck in a fit of joy. Grimm let out a sigh and patted his back before practically pulling Riley away towards the stairs, "come on I'll get you a glass of water and tuck you into bed."

"Just like old times~" Riley giggled as he nearly put all his weight on his sister and hadn't it been for the disaster of that night, Lucifer would have been impressed by her strength to carry that much dead weight. He scoffed and took a step forward, making Grimm freeze upon hearing his footsteps. His eyes narrowed as their earlier encounter flashed through his mind.

"Don’t lie to me again," Lucifer declared and it was not a suggestion. Grimm looked over her shoulder towards him, and the intense fire blazing within her green eyes nearly had Lucifer take a step back. It wasn't that he was fearful of her, no he would never fear a human, however to see the normally docile Grimm with such passion behind her eyes was an unexpected change. While he could appreciate more backbone, Lucifer wasn't sure it was a change he liked. Backbone meant nothing if it was being used to challenge him.

"I technically didn’t lie...." Grimm said, her voice still soft as ever before she turned to go without another word, helping her brother up the steps so they could head back to their room.

Lucifer watched them go without a word and he feared perhaps he had misjudged the situation they were dealt with, with the exchange problem. Perhaps, at least when it came to Riley, Grimm was going to be as much of a nuisance as her brother.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahh, I'm so sorry this took a long longer than I wanted. It should've come out a few weeks ago, but things came up in my personal life.
> 
> Warnings(?): Hangovers and suggestive things mentioned.

_It was dark as she ran through the forest, her breath visible as the chilled nighttime air seeped down into her lungs. Grimm wheezed as she stumbled over tree roots and got snagged on thorny bushes, unable to see in the pitch darkness. She couldn't make sense of how she had gotten there or where she was running to, but all she knew was she couldn't stop. Not with that thing after her._

_Grimm didn't know what it was, but she knew it was there, breathing down her neck anytime she dared slow down. Even when she thought she'd lost it, the creature would reappear easily charging towards her over the brambles. It glided through the forest with ease and Grimm feared it was perhaps only toying with her, a cat playing with a mouse. Only once did she dare look back towards the thing, catching sight of its looming shadow and the glint of light that bounced off its fangs. A deep growl followed soon after as it got even closer._

_She let out a whine as she took a sharp turn in the hopes of throwing the thing off her trail, but it was no hope as it skid on the forest floor to bounce back in her direction. The muscles in Grimm's legs felt numb as the trees began to thin out, much to her relief, but the feeling didn't last long as the monster roared from right behind her. It's breath on the back of her neck. It was hopeless, that thing was going to catch her and then.... She didn't want to think about it._

_Grimm began to think all hope was lost when finally she breached the tree line and right there in front of the forest was a house._

_It wasn't as big and extravagant as the House of Lamentation, but it wasn't as tiny as her old apartment either. It looked rural and almost.... familiar? Grimm didn't have the time to think about where she had seen it before as she made a b-line for the front door, praying to every god and goddess that would listen, that the door would be unlocked._

_If she'd even have enough time to open it._

_"Leave me alone!" Grimm wailed as she reached out for the doorknob, her heart pounding like there was no tomorrow._

_"NO!!" She heard the enraged shout come from behind her, sharpened claws swiping across her back as she got the door open._

_Grimm yelped and practically fell into the house before whipping around and slamming the door shut in the monster's face. The monster slammed into the pristine wood with a loud grunt and only for a moment did Grimm allow herself a moment to breathe before it rammed into the door again.... and again.... It was trying to break through!_

_Grimm pressed her back up against the door in the hope she could keep the vile thing out. Only then did Grimm realize, as she gazed into the darkened and dusty house, she was not alone. At first she tensed as she noticed the darkened figure standing in the middle of the room, enshrouded by shadow, but as her eyes adjusted, she felt as though she were finally safe._

_"Riley!" Grimm called out for her brother, close to tears as he turned around to look at her, only.... It was not the current face of her brother that looked back at her. This Riley's hair was slicked back with his normally pink eyes covered by cheap light blue contacts that kept the rim of his lids red and irritated. His face was hard and icy as he looked at her, his mouth set into a permanent frown._

_"Who's Riley?" He asked and the words alone were enough to steal Grimm's breath away, making her feel as though something had crushed her chest. She grew lax on the door._

_"Uriah?" Grimm whispered and only for a brief second did she see recognition flash within her brother's false eyes before the door slammed against her, causing Grimm to roughly fall to the ground in a heap. She yelped as she looked towards Ri....Uriah, only to find he was gone._

_Behind her the door grew silent._

_Grimm tensed as a cold chill fell on her feeling like a bucket of water had been dumped over her head. Against her better judgement, she rolled over to face whatever it was behind her._

_The door slowly creaked open and from its crack came a hand, roughly curling around the edge of it to sink vibrant blue claws into the delicate wood. Grimm began to shake as the door slid open ever so slightly to reveal a horn, curled and twisted atop the monster's head as the beast peaked inside the room._

_The last thing Grimm saw was the creature's deep violet eyes, full of hatred directed right towards her._

\----

Grimm woke with a start, gasping for air as she sat up in bed and frantically looked around, her heart pounding. The room was dark save for a sliver of light that slipped in under their door from the hallway, she would have to check her D.D.D. to know if it was still late at night or morning. Grimm let out a tired sigh as she buried her face in the palms of her hands, her nightmare already fading from memory to only leave a sense of unease in its wake. She tried to recall what it had been about, but couldn't quite pinpoint it.

A sudden rustling from the bed across from her's brought Grimm to attention as she finally lowered her hands and glanced over. She was met with the wide eyes of Cleo as the cat stared at her in concern from where she was curled up on top of Riley's back. Riley....

Her brother groaned as his eye cracked open ever so slightly, meeting Grimm's, and even in the dark she could tell it was bloodshot and irritated from his wild night out.

"You alright?" Riley asked, voice raspy, more evidence of the previous evening. Grimm didn't doubt he felt the repercussions of it by the look of him and so she forced a smile, not wanting Riley to worry.

"I'm good," Grimm responded which got a curious hum from her brother as though he could see through her. She didn't want him too, however, so instead she cleared her throat and pulled out her phone to check the time. It was morning, they'd have to head to class soon. With that, Grimm had an excuse so she dragged herself out of bed with a small explanation of going to get dressed, Riley carefully watched as she gathered up her uniform and turned to go into their bathroom. As she turned, she caught sight of his widening eyes as Riley suddenly leaped out of bed, making Cleo scramble away and Grimm jump as he hurried over towards her.

"Did one of them hurt you?" He asked as he grabbed her shoulders and spun her around as if to look at her back, her shoulders bare from the tank top she wore.

"Riley, what are you doing now?" Grimm whined, finding it far too early for this kind of nonsense, and perhaps she was just a bit to snappy with him as he released her with an agitated groan. Grimm felt bad as she turned to face her brother and saw the way his brows pinched together, hair in disarray, and she could tell he was as exhausted as she was.

"Sorry," Riley mumbled, "I just thought I saw.... never mind, it was just my eyes playing tricks on me."

He looked away, but before he could retreat, Grimm reached up to set a gentle hand upon the top of his head. Riley tensed but allowed her to smooth his hair back, much like a mother would. 

He let out a breath of air and the rest of his bite vanished.

"I'm gonna lay down for a bit," Riley murmured before going back to his bed, allowing Grimm to finally go into the bathroom.

There she prepared to get ready for the day, but as she pulled off her tank top, she hesitated. Grimm frowned as she twisted around to try and get a view of her back in the mirror, but upon seeing it, it was clear that there was nothing out of the ordinary.

What had Riley seen?

The thought made a cold chill go down Grimm's spine, though she couldn't exactly understand why. A phantom sting made her shoulders itch, but she was sure it was just in her head. With that in mind, she sluggishly got dress, feeling as if she were being watched. She ignored it.  
When Grimm finished, she dragged herself out of the bathroom to find Riley had gotten around to getting himself ready. She wondered if she had taken longer than usual for him to sloppily throw on his RAD uniform, but Riley didn't comment.

With that the two of them left their room, the light from the hallway nearly blinding them after having been in the dark for so long.

It wasn't so bad for Grimm, but Riley however.... He let out a whine and clutched at his hungover head. Grimm sighed and lightly patted him on the back before leading him down the hallway so he wouldn't have to look around at the flickering candlelight.

Riley, for once, quietly followed after Grimm as the two eventually made it down to the dining room. It was nice, her brother's presence had a calming air that was able to put her at ease, but it was not something that lasted long. As the two turned the corner to head into the dining room, Grimm nearly ran into a wall of muscle for what must have been the hundredth time since coming to the Devildom. She let out a tiny squeak as she jumped back from Beelzebub to avoid colliding with him, the large demon stopped and looked down at her as if he hadn't noticed her at first. Grimm met his eyes and went ridged, a spike of ice shooting up her spine as she was swallowed up in their purple hue and she didn't even understand why. What about his eyes had changed?

"Oh, sorry Grimm," Beelzebub said with a beaming smile, his gentle tone bringing her out of her panic, "You're so small, I didn't see you."

If it had been anybody else, Grimm thought she would be offended, but Beel's tone and face were earnest. It showed he didn't mean any harm by the comment. Grimm blinked and shook off the chills she had been hit with, after all, this was the same Beelzebub she had grown to know. Nothing was different. And yet....

"I-It's alright," Grimm smiled back at him and the two stood there a moment, embodying the sunshine that could not be found within the Devildom. Riley groaned.

"Can you two move along please?" he asked, clearly not in the mood as he clutched at his pounding head. "I want to, maybe, eat something before class."

At that, Beelzebub appeared much more enthusiastic, ushering Grimm into the dining hall before following after. Riley trudged along much slower. Upon entering the room, a few pairs of eyes that were already situated in the room looked their way, more so, they carefully watched as Beel hovered over Grimm. He was concerned about walking into her again as she looked so fragile to him and no doubt would she get hurt if he didn't pay more attention to where he was going. However, to the others, the pair resembled a lion standing over a rabbit.

"You marinating her, big guy?" Mammon asked as he lifted his head off the table, suffering just as Riley was. Beel deadpanned at his older brother before quietly stepping around Grimm to instead head towards the table and eat his second breakfast for the day. The rest of the room could breath easy after that, even Levi looked up from his phone to watch as Beel sat down close by.

With that out of the way, Mammon slid his gaze towards Riley as the other human trotted into the room, and almost instantly the demon's face bloomed with a blush. Mammon feigned a cough into his hand as he looked away, pretending he didn't see the other, Grimm hummed curiously at the weird interaction and turned to Riley. Her brother looked just as confused as she felt and had no clue what that was about either.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't the man of the hour," Asmodeus purred as he walked up behind the human twins, making them spin around to face him. He appeared to be taking his night of partying much easier than the other two, "how's that hangover?"

"Bearable," Riley grumbled which only got a chuckle out of Asmo.

"You humans are all so predictable," he shrugged as he walked past the two to his seat beside Satan, leaving an empty chair between him and Mammon. "I'm glad I don't have to worry about that."

Satan snorted and lightly tapped his silverware against the porcelain plate his breakfast was on. The resulting clink made Asmodeus wince, before sending a glare towards his brother. Huffing, Asmo turned back to look at Riley.

"Anyway," he went on, "dear Riley, you sure surprised me last night."

"Oh?"

"Who knew our little human could party like a demon?" Asmo stated, making sure to show off his pearly white fangs with a smile. Grimm groaned and glanced at Riley, the look making her brother tense as if worried she would scold him. She wouldn't, but she did find herself worried over what he had gotten up to the previous night. She remembered well enough having to drag him to his bed while he kept mumbling something about wanting to visit with Mammon.

"What can I say, it's second nature to me," Riley decided to respond with and Grimm could agree with him there. She was just glad he was finally opening up at bit with the others. Asmodeus' purr caught Grimm's attention once more.

"Oh trust me, I can tell," Asmo chuckled as he leaned forward to rest his chin in his hand. Grimm didn't think she liked the look he gave Riley. "You know, now that I'm sober, I can tell exactly how many people you've slept with."

Riley, not one to fluster easily, looked amused while the rest of the room glanced at him once again, making Asmo cackle. Meanwhile, Leviathan let out a groan as if this was the last thing he wanted to hear in the early morning.

"Remember when I said I could do that?" The Avatar of Lust asked, a playful air to his voice as Mammon perked up ever so slightly. He was intrigued by what Asmo was implying, but on the other hand, he was biting his lip unsure if he actually wanted to hear the answer or not.

"Asmo," Lucifer said in warning as the eldest walked out of the kitchen with a fresh pot of coffee, already looking done with his family's shenanigans for the day. Mammon appeared to snap out of it as Lucifer walked past the rest of them to his seat at the head of the table, setting the pot close-by. Satan eyed it and perhaps contemplated getting a cup, but ultimately, decided against it and instead just chose to glare at Lucifer instead.

"Y-Yea, no one cares about some human's sex-life!" Mammon grumbled, which got an amused eye-brow raise from Asmo and a huff from Riley. Grimm could tell her brother didn't like being spoken about as though he weren't there, and not necessarily about the sex stuff. Riley never cared if anyone knew what he did, he didn't survive to adulthood just to be feel judged.

"You don't?" Asmo asked Mammon as the fastest way to shut him up, the latter's jaw snapped shut and that was the end of it. Asmo put back on his pretty smile as he gave Riley a quick once over, which got a playfully smirk out of the human. "Definitely in the high twenties."

"Impressive for a human," Satan said, letting the others know he was indeed still listening to the conversation. "Though not for a demon."

Mammon sputtered as he went off on a tangent on talking about HIS human in such a way. Interesting. Grimm couldn't really dwell on it as she looked between Asmo and Riley, the demon looking rather proud of himself for having figured it out.

Meanwhile, Riley was attempting to do the math in his head to see if Asmodeus was actually right.

"Wait, you can actually do that?" Grimm asked in earnest, "can you tell how many people I've slept with?"

"GRIMM!" Riley wailed, his face flushed, not wanting to hear his beloved sister talk about such a thing. The exchange only fueled Asmodeus' excitement, and Grimm feared perhaps she should have kept her mouth shut.

"Oh honey," the demon chuckled, "your hand doesn't count."

Grimm let out a squeak and covered her face to hide her blush at the same time Leviathan began to choke on his cereal. Asmo could only giggle before Riley leaped into action and cleared the distance between himself and the demon, determined to mess up some hair. Asmo was ready for him this time, however, and as soon as Riley reached his side, the demon grabbed a hold of the human's uniform jacket. Using his greater strength, Asmo easily pulled Riley into the chair situated between him and Mammon, and despite being man-handled, Riley only huffed and crossed his arms in a pout. Grimm lowered her hands in time to see Asmo run his own through Riley's fluffy hair to fix it back in to place, only for Mammon to slap his brother away. They glared at one another.

"Anyway, forget all of that," Asmo waved off the previous topic, allowing Grimm some reprieve from everyone's attention. She used it as a chance to quietly hurry over to the empty seat next to Beel, sitting down and keeping her head low. She could feel his gaze on her, but after that debacle, she couldn't bring herself to look at him. Asmo continued on, "you'll have to come clubbing with us again sometime, isn't that right, Mammon?"

"Huh, uh, sure."

"Careful, Riley," Satan spoke up, though his words sounded more humorous than an ominous warning. "Mixing up with these two might not end well for you."

Asmodeus stuck his tongue out at Satan to which the other clanked his dishes together once more, making those with hangovers cringe. In retaliation, Asmo let out an agitated hiss in his brother's face, to which Satan returned full force their fangs bared at one another. Had it happened when Grimm first came to the Devildom, she would have been worried they were about to fight, but by now she knew that was just how demons settled their differences.

"For once I'd have to agree with Satan," Lucifer spoke up as he continued to watch all of his brothers make fools of themselves at the table. "Such a look is not becoming for one of our precious exchange students."

Riley narrowed his eyes as he looked at Lucifer, to which the latter returned the sentiments in full, and Grimm was left to wonder if her brother even remembered what happened when he got back last night. Lucifer, who had been leaning back comfortably in his chair, sat up straight looking as though he wanted to say something to the human exchange students, however, Riley refused to give him that chance. Instead, he turned away from him towards Mammon.

"You okay?" Riley asked, taking note of Mammon's strange behavior that morning. The demon stared him down as if he were trying to see through him, unsure of what to say.

"Are you?" Mammon decided to ask instead, only confusing Riley further.

"Ohh a bit awkward after last night, hmmm?" Asmo asked as he and Satan went back to doing their own thing as if nothing had even happened.

"What.... exactly happened last night?" Riley asked, to which Mammon instantly let out a breath of relief.

"Oh, you can't remember?" Asmo purred. Oh no.

"I remember everything up until we hit that last club," Riley admitted, not sure he liked where this conversation was going.

"So you don't remember getting in Mammon's pants?" Asmo asked with his head held high, which only made Riley's eyes go wide as he shot a look towards Mammon. The demon looked right back at him and tried to remain indignant, but the slight blush to his cheeks allowed the other to know he felt differently. Both Satan and Leviathan chuckled at the news while even Beel looked away from his meal to give a curious glance towards his brother and the human. Lucifer's eyes narrowed.

"What?" Grimm said, jaw dropping, "Riley!"

"Hey, don't get mad at me!" Her brother was quick to retort to defend himself, his shoulders tensed as though readying for a fight. Unlike Mammon, Riley refused to be embarrassed by such a thing, even if he had been drunk. He had the same needs as any other human, after all.

"Arg, nothing happened!" Mammon growled out to the room, fed up with his brothers' teasing.

"I made sure of that," Lucifer added on as he nonchalantly took a sip of his coffee, his eyes never leaving the other's at the table.

"What?" Asmo pouted, lip jutting out, "aw, Lucifer, you're no fun!"

"Yea, buzz-kill...." Mammon muttered under his breath, but it was still loud enough for the eldest demon to hear him. A low growl bubbled up from somewhere deep within Lucifer's chest, instantly shutting up the second oldest and even making him sit up straight.

"Apologies for preventing you from making fools of yourselves, truly," Lucifer said as he finally sat his mug down onto the table and stood up, silencing the room. His red eyes scanned over those in attendance before finally landing on Riley, only making the human narrow his own eyes. Refusing to back down. Lucifer cleared his throat, "now that I have your attention, last night will not go by without suitable punishment."

The whole table groaned.

"Asmodeus," Lucifer went on, "delete those pictures from your Devilgram account-"

"But they're trending!"

"Exactly," the eldest huffed before he turned and began to stalk around the table. "Mammon, I'm extending the amount of time you're banned from your credit card, how does an extra century sound?"

"UGH!" Mammon growled before he turned away so Lucifer wouldn't see him roll his eyes, it didn't work however, but the eldest demon didn't comment on it, instead making his way towards Riley.

"And as for you," Lucifer finally came to a stop just inches away from the human. Riley tensed as he jumped out of his seat, fully prepared to face any danger the demon might bring. He did a once over Riley, likely amused the human thought he'd be able to fend off a demon if Lucifer actually wanted to cause harm. "I went easy on you with the cat situation, but it appears my kindness has only made you see me as a pushover."

"Kindness?" Riley asked, unimpressed, "is that what you call all of this?"

"Riley!" Grimm scolded her brother, worry dripping into her tone as she feared what would happen to her brother should he keep pressing Lucifer's buttons. The eldest demon shot her down with a single glance, his dark eyes flashing crimson and to her horror, Grimm realized Lucifer was also angered with her.

"You need to learn your place here," Lucifer said, turning back to look at Riley, though Grimm could tell his words were aimed at both of them. "If I let you do whatever you want, you'd end up dead sooner than later."

"If that happens, then so be it," Riley sneered, "besides what kind of punishment could you possibly dish out on me. Unlike your brothers, I'm not a materialistic person, what are you gonna do? Take the phone I don't use?"

"I've actually thought it over since you've left my side last night," Lucifer took a deep breath and crossed his arms, "Riley for the next two weeks, you shall be banned from your sister."

"WHAT?!" Both Grimm and Riley cried in unison, the latter even going so far as to take a surprised step back. Several gasps emitted from the room and Asmodeus even went so far as to feign faint, as if the drama of the situation was too much for him to handle. Grimm stared at Lucifer, her heart pounding hard enough to make her feel sick, her stomach churned uncomfortably.

"Y-You can't do that!" Riley stuttered under his breath as if he could hardly get the words out, he looked pale.

"Just be thankful the punishment isn't for the whole year," Lucifer said, his head still held high as Riley's lowered. "I DO realize how short your human lives are."

"We share a room-" Riley muttered and now his shoulders slumped. Grimm looked back and forth between her brother and the demon, wanting to go to Riley's side but not sure if she would be allowed to. Her throat felt dry.

"You've already more than proven you'd sleep with my brothers," Lucifer deadpanned and Grimm had to wonder if he meant that literally or was implying something else. Tentatively she turned to look at Beelzebub beside her, who mirrored her own expression, his violet eyes holding concern for her but she couldn't keep her own gaze on them. A shiver went down her spine for reasons she could not remember.

Looking back, Grimm saw Riley sneer right in Lucifer's face as he took a step towards him, having to angle his chin upwards at the much taller demon. Lucifer only looked amused by the action as Mammon grabbed a hold of Riley's elbow and gave a small tug to pull him away, his voice low, "back down, it ain't worth it."

"What do you plan on doing?" Lucifer asked with a glance towards his brother before taking another step closer to Riley, focusing on the human once more, "are you going to try seducing me again?"

That took Riley back, his lips parting ever so slightly as whatever retort he had died on his tongue. He wanted to question what on Earth Lucifer was talking about, but as he stared down the demon with wide eyes, he got the sudden flash of an image. Himself, pressed up against a muscled chest, wanting to nuzzle but being refrained by a gloved hand. He could remember wanting nothing more than said hand to pull on his hair just a little harder. Riley grimaced at the memory as if he had tasted something rotten, his face heating up nearly instantly. Oh no, how could his own dick betray him like this? Horrified, Riley took a step back, his eye meeting Grimm's as he spared her a glance, her own face reflecting his, before he turned back to Lucifer. The bastard had the audacity to look smug about the whole thing, almost as if he had won some private and personal battle against the human before him.

Riley hated to admit that was true.

He didn't know what else to say, he had nothing that could give him control of this situation. And so as he glared deep into Lucifer's eyes, his own burning with unshed rage-tears, he could only clench his fists together before shoving away from Mammon and bolting out of the dining hall. 

The double doors slammed behind him.

"Hey, wait!" Mammon called out as he chased after Riley, vanishing out of the room shortly after.  
Grimm watched them go with a gaping jaw, her throat tight as she stood up to follow after her brother. The pain and hurt within his eyes made it feel as though claws had dug into her heart, but Beel's heavy hand on her shoulder made her freeze. She looked back at the demon and he quietly shook his head. Grimm blinked and from the corner of her eye, she could see the dark form of Lucifer sweep past her with only a single glance before he also took his leave. Letting out a shaky breath, Grimm slumped down into her seat, she needed to talk to Riley, she needed to make sure he was okay, but.... How could she, with this new two week ban?

Across the table from her, Asmodeus frowned, looking as though he were about to say something only to be stopped by Satan. His brother shook his head and instead motioned to the abandoned kitchenware their other brothers had left behind. Letting out a sigh, Asmo began to help Satan clean up, in order to give Grimm a bit of privacy as her world crashed down around her.

"Don't worry about all of that," Beelzebub spoke up when he saw her distraught face, his voice soft despite the natural growl to it. "Lucifer is right, two weeks isn't that long...."

Grimm knew she and Riley must have appeared dramatic to the demons, after all, two weeks was hardly anything to them. It was hardly anything to a human as well, and yet.... Grimm couldn't be separated from Riley, not even for such a short amount of time. She sighed and wrapped her arms around herself, feeling truly and utterly alone for the first time since she arrived in the Devildom.

Beel frowned when it became clear his attempt at cheering her up did nothing, he wasn't sure why, but he didn't like seeing this human looking so downtrodden. "If you want I'll stay with you today, we can even go get snacks after class."

"But Beel," Satan spoke up before Grimm could let the offer roll around in her head, "don't you have practice today?"

"Oh yea," the Avatar of Gluttony responded with a deep frown as Satan and Asmo finally left the room, leaving only the three. Grimm could tell Satan's reminder troubled Beel, but that was the last thing she wanted.

"Ah, it's alright, I'll be fine...." Grimm said with a small smile in the hopes he wouldn't have to worry. Beelzebub didn't look all too convinced however as his brow furrowed. There wasn't much he could do and so Beel simply nodded to her before he turned around towards Levi, his older brother managing to ignore the hectic world around him in favor of the game on his phone. Grimm glanced past Beel to Levi, to see how he slumped in his own seat as if to make himself appear smaller, uncomfortable with the events that had just unfolded moments before.

"Levi, I need you to pick Grimm up from RAD later," Beel said, voice rising in octave now that he was no longer directing it at said human. "I won't be able to walk her back to the house and it's too dangerous for her to go by herself."

"Uh-huh," Levi muttered under his breath as he shrunk away from the other, wanting to be literally anywhere other than there. Beel took a deep breath as he carefully watched Levi, the other tended to appear uncaring at times, but he still could be dependable when need be. Beelzebub felt he could rely on his older brother for this.

Grimm let out a sigh as she turned away from the two, normally she would be excited about a chance to hang out with Leviathan, but... with concern for her own brother gripping her heart, she could think of little else.

\----

Mammon groaned as he followed Riley, making sure to stay five paces behind the human. Sure, he could have easily kept up with him, Mammon prided himself on being quick on his feet, but the last thing he wanted to deal with was his human's tantrum. HIS human, huh? Mammon could scoff at the thought, but as he woke up that morning with a pounding head and a clear memory of the previous night, it might have as well been true. Riley had been all over him, and sure it was probably the drink talking, but could you blame him? Mammon HAD been a model after all. (And yes, Riley had also been all over both Asmodeus and Lucifer, but Mammon chose to ignore that.)

Besides, Lucifer DID assign Mammon to watch over Riley, so OF COURSE he had to follow after him when he was upset. It wasn't like Mammon was following Riley because he was CONCERNED or anything. Especially as he watched the human stomp down the streets of the Devildom towards the RAD campus, shoving past any lesser demon that got in his way. On a normal day, Mammon might admit to being impressed to the human's gall, but on this day, he couldn't find it in him. Mammon was more observant than his brother's gave him credit for, and even from a few feet away he could see the way Riley's shoulders quivered as if fighting against unshed tears.

Mammon didn't understand why such a short ban had effected Riley so strongly, but who was he to judge?

Eventually the two made it to RAD's courtyard and Riley slowed to an agonizing crawl, trudging along through the hallways until he came upon the room where his first class was held. He came to an abrupt stop and had Mammon not been paying incredibly close attention to the human, he would have walked right into him.

"Ay, what gives?" Mammon growled, annoyed, as he side-stepped Riley to walk around his front, finally facing him. Something about the human's usually vibrant eyes had gone dark, as if the events of that morning had clawed open a wound in Riley's head. "Are ya doin' alright?"  
Riley shrugged, a half-hearted and pitiful movement, before he took in a deep breath and fully faced Mammon.

"Can he really do that?" He asked.

"He's Lucifer, he does what he wants," Mammon returned the shrug, "just take the punishment and it'll be over in no time. Ya honestly got lucky with this one."

"Ugh!" Riley groaned as he threw his head back, Mammon stepped aside to let him stomp around once more. It was progress though as Riley appeared to become much more lively than he had been on their walk. Riley threw his arms up in the air, pure venom in his voice, "who does he think he is, my father?!"

"Be lucky he isn't," came another voice as Satan walked up from the path, the Avatar of Wrath having followed after them shortly after. Riley acknowledged the demon's presence with a glance, the deep frown on his face never vanishing.

"You following me or something?" Riley asked, clearly not in the mood to deal with anymore demons for the day. And he had been doing so well getting accustomed to the Devildom too! So much for that.

"I could smell your wrath," Satan smiled as if it were obvious, "and it being directed towards Lucifer, made it enticing to me."

"Of course," Riley sighed as he looked away towards the empty classroom, none of the others having showed up yet. What was he going to do about this mess? Would he not even be able to speak with Grimm during class hours? Riley gritted his teeth together as the surrounding voices began to grate on his nerves.

"Hey, don't be smelling my human!" Mammon snapped defensively in Satan's face.

"Your human?" The Avatar of Wrath huffed, "I don't smell your sin on him-"

"Can you two just shut up, please?!" Riley growled, voice cracking, perhaps a bit louder than he had intended as more than a few passing lesser demons gave him a curious glance before going about their way. They knew well enough to not mess with one of the human exchange students while in the presence of any of the seven avatars.

Satan and Mammon froze their bickering and looked to Riley with round eyes, as though surprised at his sudden outburst. Riley could feel their gazes on him, nearly scorching, as the only thing he wanted to do was go back to his tiny apartment in the Human World. He wanted to curl up on his lumpy mattress and take a week long nap, his head still pounded. Riley clenched his fists, wanting nothing more than to go find Grimm and ramble about his horrid day, but she wasn't there, and she wouldn't be for the next two weeks. At the simple thought of it, Riley could feel an uncomfortable lump begin to well up in his throat, and the unwelcome sting of unshed tears prick at his eyes.

"Hell," Riley muttered as he wrapped his arms around himself, practically curling into a ball where he stood. His shoulders quivered, but he refused to let out any of his emotions. He couldn't let them see him like this.

"Now ya've done it," Mammon growled at Satan before pushing past his brother to stand at Riley's side. He rubbed the back of his head, unsure of the situation, "hey don't cry dummy, why do ya even need a sister anyway? The two of us could go to the casino across town and ditch this place if ya want."

"That's certainly a possibility if you want Lucifer to extend your Grimm-ban," Satan spoke before Riley could even contemplate the offer. Mammon groaned as Riley's spine went ridged as he thought over the implications.

"So that' it, huh?" Riley asked, his tone cold as he allowed his muscles to unwind, unwrapping himself. He wanted nothing more than to retaliate against Lucifer, it was what Riley did best, but he knew well enough why that would be a bad idea. "He's gonna leverage my sister over me to keep me in line this year? If that's what he thinks, he has another thing coming."

Riley let out a breath and finally turned to look back at the two demons, noting their curious faces as the human finally forced a smirk, "I am going to make his life a living hell."  
At that Satan let out an excited trill, while Mammon could only sigh.

"Damn it...." the second oldest muttered, knowing Riley's mission was not going to end well, for either of them. Mammon was so going to get in trouble for this.

\----

Grimm wasn't.... having a good day.

She had been quiet since that hectic morning in the dining hall, and all she wanted now was to run to Riley to see if he was okay, but.... She couldn't. That simple fact alone gave her cold chills that rivaled even the Devildom's crisp air. This whole thing reminded her of a different time long ago, and it made her sick to her stomach.

Not knowing what else to do, Grimm chose to cling onto Beelzebub's jacket as he escorted her to RAD's campus. Her knuckles were practically white from how tightly she held onto him, her fingers threatening to turn purple due to the frigid temperatures.

Beel kept glancing back at her with furrowed brows, concern reading off his features, but he also remained as quiet as usual, not knowing what to say to the tiny human behind him. How could he possibly come up with the words, when he himself had not yet dealt with his feelings about being separated from his own twin brother.

From behind him, Grimm let out a sorrowful sigh as the two of them walked onto campus and into the main building. Beel would escort her to her first class, but after that they would part ways, he hoped she would be okay throughout the day. Though that may have proved to be rather.... unlikely.

  
Grimm, in her funk and not watching where she had been going, bumped into a demon that had been walking by, a little too close for comfort. He was quick to turn on her with a growl and snapping fangs.

"Hey, watch it!"

"Oh sorry," Grimm mumbled as she looked up at the offending demon. He spat, not at all amused by her big and round sad eyes.

"Don't look at me like that," he said, "I could literally eat you right-"

The demon hesitated as a large shadow loomed over both him and Grimm. He yelped as he turned around to see the sixth avatar, Beelzebub with a glare on his face, his lip twitching as if he were just itching for a bite.

"O-Oh, my bad!" The demon wailed before he turned tail and bolted out of there as soon as he could. Grimm's brows furrowed as she turned to look back at Beel, who let out a tired sigh as he ushered her away to her classroom door. There stood Simeon, as if waiting for someone, while he fiddled around with his D.D.D. a look of heavy concentration on his face.

"Are you going to be okay?" Beel frowned at Grimm, not paying the angel any mind as she tried to put on a smile, it waivered.

"Of course," she said though it didn't appear as though Beel completely believed her as he stared her up and down. Simeon finally glanced over at them.

"No worries, Beelzebub," he said, pocketing his phone and going to stand at Grimm's side. "I'll keep an eye on her for you today."

Beel looked between the two, his brows furrowed before finally nodding in defeat with one last look towards Grimm, "I guess, I'll see you later then."

And with that he took his leave, Grimm watching him go with slumped shoulders before practically being dragged into the classroom by Simeon.

"Lucifer messaged me about what's going on," he explained, "I think he wants me to make sure you don't interact with Riley, but I won't tell if you don't. He would get mad if he finds out though."

Grimm shook her head. While she would absolutely love to break the rules in that moment, she knew in doing so, there would only be more consequences. She wasn't dumb, and she didn't want to risk it. For now she and Riley would have to deal with this ban, even though Grimm worried more for her brother than herself. She just hoped he was dealing with it well. 

Grimm on the other hand, no matter how hard she liked to believe she was okay, was not. She trudged through her day an empty shell, barely speaking unless spoken to and hardly getting any of her lessons done. Not even a smart remark from Luke could bring her out of it, Grimm instead just stared at him as though whatever comment he just said hadn't even registered with her. Luke looked to Simeon in a panic.

"What's wrong with her?" The young angel panicked, "did those demons do this?"

Again, nothing. Not even when Solomon slid over to try and get her attention during their Seductive Speechcraft class, "you know I could keep you company if you're lonely~"

"That's nice, Solomon," Grimm muttered much to the shady wizard's surprise, his words going in one ear and out the other. Solomon opened his mouth to comment on her scattered brain, but was ultimately silenced as the angels put themselves between him and Grimm to usher her away during this difficult time. Solomon simply shook his head and went about his own way.

"Come on Grimm," Luke said as he gently took her hand to lead her away. "We'll keep you safe from those demons today."

Things had progressively gotten worse by lunch, especially as she and Riley caught sight of one another before Mammon dragged the other human away before he could anger Lucifer. Who was also standing by, not too far away. Grimm sat with the angels instead of at the usual table where she would sit with Riley and Beel, considering the latter was also no where to be found. What did he say he was doing today? Grimm couldn't remember and felt bad for that, but then she would picture the color of his eyes and shiver though she didn't understand why. She wasn't secretly scared of him was she? No Grimm was certain she wasn't, but there was something left up in the air she couldn't pinpoint, almost like a forgotten memory she couldn't recall.

All these thoughts going through Grimm's head didn't allow much else to and she got scolded more than once by not paying attention in class. Before she knew it the end of the day had come and she was practically dragged to RAD's entrance by the Purgatory Hall residents, Simeon coming to a stop before they took their leave.

"This is where we part ways," he sighed, a look of concern gracing his features as he looked down at her droopy eyes. "I'm sure Leviathan will be here soon to escort you the rest of the way. Please, take care Grimm."

"Two weeks is barely anything," Solomon shrugged.

"But two weeks can feel like forever sometimes!" Luke whined only to have Solomon put a hand over his mouth before pulling him away with a yelp. Simeon looked after the two with tired eyes before he nodded a farewell to Grimm and left after the others. Grimm let out a sigh as she watched them go, deciding to pull out her DDD instead to message Levi and see how far away he was, only to find her phone was dead. Well that was just her luck.  
Grimm pocketed her phone and had no other choice than to wait alone by the double doors, the chill from the other side creeping in to bite at her skin.

\----

In the cool, dark, room that belonged to Leviathan, there was little light aside from his computer screen and the glow from his aqurium. Leviathan prided himself in quickly getting through his online schoolwork early on, so the rest of the day could be spent binging his favorite anime for the hundredth time. It was genius really.

He excitedly watched the screen, his reptilian tail happily tapping against the tiled flooring, "ohh my favorite part is coming up, Henry."

From his enormous wall-sized fish tank, the goldfish did a tiny flip as though acknowledging what Levi had said.

Sure it could get lonely, but Leviathan liked it this way, he didn't have to socialize at RAD unless there was student council business and for the most part he could hole up in his room. He felt like he never had to leave and it was perfect. With a content hum, Levi reached in the bag of his favorite chips only to realize.... oh it was empty. He frowned as he looked inside, perhaps he had just missed them, but alas he truly was out. Levi let out a groan as he paused his show, in no way could he continue to watch his favorite scene without a snack. He could only hope that Beel hadn't cleared out the kitchen before he left, as Levi stood from his seat, joint popping with the foreign movement.

Levi stretched as he hid away his tail and horns behind his more humanoid glamour before leaving the safety of his room. He wasn't a huge fan of keeping that part of himself under wraps, none of them really were, but Diavolo thought it best for the demons to appear as human as possible for the time being. All in order to make sure those human exchange students were as comfortable as possible. In all honestly, Levi found it to be annoying. Who cared what a couple of normies thought?

He surely didn't.

Leviathan made his way down the hall and towards the entryway stairs, when he heard a loud slam, sounding as though someone had returned home rather rudely. Was it already that time of day?

"Honey, please, why are you so loud?" He heard Asmodeus' exasperated sigh.

"I've decided I'm going to be as obnoxious as I can be for the next two weeks!" Came Riley's loud call, followed by the sounds of him stomping along. Leviathan rolled his eyes, honestly, he was pretty sure that one was well above the acceptable human age for throwing a tantrum. It's not like he got grounded from his phone or other electronics for two weeks. Who'd even be upset about being banned from seeing someone for that amount of time?

Levi froze in his tracks.

Wait, wasn't he supposed to do something before the others got back from RAD? Levi took a deep breath as he pictured the hulking form of Beel as his younger, yet much beefier, brother gave him a task to complete. Grimm. A simple fetch quest and escort mission and yet the punishment for not completing it would be dire, no doubt his collection was at risk of being eaten, and if Lucifer found out he had forgotten to go get her....

Leviathan let out a yelp as he bolted down the staircase and out the front door.

\----

Grimm was still waiting around outside the main doors, sad and bored out of her mind when she finally heard the footsteps running towards her. She wasn't sure what time it was, but it was better late than never as she assumed Leviathan had probably gotten caught up in something before hand. She turned to face him with a forced smile on her face, still wanting to come off as approachable to him, though they still had little interactions aside from sending each other items and such on the app games they played.

Grimm went to raise her hand in greeting, but dropped it immediately as she saw it was not who she thought it was. From around the corner came not one, but three lesser demons she was unfamiliar with. Though the one at the lead.... Yea she thought he might be the one from earlier that day. Grimm frowned and turned away from them, hoping they would leave her be and go about their way.

However, with how her day had gone, she would not be so lucky.

"Well, look at who it is," the lead demon hissed as he sauntered over towards her, Grimm inhaling a sharp breath as she tensed.

"You think you're real slick don't you?"

Grimm refused to so much as look at him, still hoping that by ignoring him, he'd leave. This only made the demon bristle as he leaned towards her and attempted to get into her field of vision, Grimm only glanced away.

"Let it go, man," one of the other demons sighed, looking as though they wanted to be literally anywhere else in that moment.

The third one with them nodded in agreement.

The lead demon let out a growl as he roughly grabbed a hold of Grimm's arm to force her to look at her. Grimm let out a yelp and as if on instinct, slapped her hand right across the demon's face. There was a pause as he released her, shocked that a mere human would even have the audacity. His supposed friends behind him cackled at the sight, making the demon's face flush.

"Why you little bi-" the demon got out before Grimm bolted, turning tail and fleeing back into the safety of the school building.

"Just let it go!" She heard one of the others call after them as the demon she slapped gave chase.

Oh no, oh no, oh-

Grimm dashed down the empty hallways, everyone else having already left the grounds an hour ago. Though she knew somewhere within the RAD campus, Beel was off at practice. Maybe she could find him. Grimm made a sharp turn and kept on going, the demon not much further behind. She was above average in speed, but was still only a human which meant she was no match for a demon. Grimm wheezed as she ran, familiar images flashing through her mind, the doorways within the hall blending together as though they were tall trees and she was running through the forest once again.

The demon's yells became deep guttural growls and Grimm could suddenly remember her dream from last night with the utmost clarity. The claws and fangs snapping towards her, the spiky thorns pricking her legs on the harrowing run and now, it appeared as though she were doomed to repeat it in the halls of RAD. Her skin prickled as she imagined the feeling of the demon's claws going across her back just as the one's in her dream had. The sting was fresh in her mind and she couldn't allow that to happen again.

Grimm turned another corner and now she was sure the demon was toying with her, always keeping a few steps behind, making her heart pound. If he had truly wanted to, he would have easily caught her, but where would the fun in that be? The two of them ran towards where Grimm knew Beel's locker to be except.... She hadn't taken into consideration that it was also located in a dead end hallway. She skidded to a halt right in front of the locker, Beelzebub nowhere to be found, and had no choice but to turn and face her assailant.

"You think you're hot shit, don't you?" The demon growled as he stalked towards her, eyes narrowed, and all Grimm could do was take the tiniest of steps back. But she was running out of distance between them and quickly. The demon groaned, "ugh, what was Lord Diavolo even thinking, nobody wants a bunch of humans here."

"Um, s-sorry-" Grimm managed to get out before being silenced with a glare, making her yelp. Well what was she supposed to do about all this? It wasn't her fault she and Riley were summoned there, though she supposed the fact they chose to stay actually was. Either way, she was invited and had as much of a right to stay there as any of them. She took a deep breath and tried to keep her head held high, but another step closer by the demon only had her cowering. Grimm could only hope Beel would return to his locker early in the next few seconds to save her from whatever fate this demon had in mind for her. But most of all, Grimm just wanted Riley there with her. Surely the two of them together would have been able to handle it.  
Grimm's back pressed up against the back wall, no where else left to go as the demon stood a mere inches away from her, lifting up a clawed hand towards her face. She flinched back-

"Hey you!" Came a familiar voice from down the hall and Grimm could have fainted right then and there, the demon turned with a sneer that quickly vanished as he saw the third born standing at the end of the hall.

Leviathan was panting as if he had run the whole way there, his fists clenched as he glared daggers and bared his fangs at the demon that had dared threaten the human he was supposed to protect. Supposed to was the key phrase, but they could worry about that later. The demon tensed as he looked between both Grimm and Levi, then deciding it still wasn't worth it to get chewed out by one of the seven avatars, decided to bail. The demon bolted, dashing around Leviathan and right back around the corner, spouting a slew of curses as he went along.

"That almost ended badly," Levi sighed, glad he had gotten there in time. If Grimm had gotten hurt, surely both Beel and Lucifer would have skewered him alive. Finally after a moment, Levi turned his sunset eyes towards Grimm, who still stood against the wall shivering like a leaf, her knees looking as though they were seconds away from giving out. Grimm looked at him in disbelief, almost as if she were seeing the sun for the first time. He had actually showed up? Levi looked between Grimm and where the demon had gone, a deep frown on his face as he questioned what would be the most appropriate action in this moment. He should make sure she was alright and comfort her, that was a thing normies did, right?

Leviathan stepped towards the human, "um, are you-"

Unable to hold back, Grimm lunged for him, wrapping her arms tightly around his torso, making the demon tense.

"H-Hey!"

Grimm wheezed for breathe as she slowly began to come down from her adrenaline high, and perhaps in the back of her mind she knew she was crossing some line with Levi. However, in that moment, she was too happy and relieved to care. Grimm snuggled into his chest, "I-I'm sorry...."

Levi patted her head as though she were a stray cat wanting the attention he didn't necessarily want to give. He floundered like a fish, trying to find the appropriate words to say, but came up short.

Grimm tried to calm down, she really did, but it was all too much for her. Finally for the first time since that morning, she realized where exactly she was and reality came crashing down around her. She still could feel the demon's hot breath on the back of her neck and what made it worse is she wasn't sure if it was her dream she was remembering or the event that had just happened. Violet eyes flashed within her mind and she whimpered, setting Leviathan off in a panic.

"Hey don't do that, normie!"

"I-I'm not a normie!" Grimm spat back, half-fearful wail and half ire-filled scream. Levi shut his mouth after that.

He took on a more serious note as he glanced away from her, before nudging her shoulders along to lead her back down the hallways to the entrance. Grimm followed without much resistance, figuring she should be in the comfort of her own room before having a full on meltdown. The fact her brother wouldn't be there for her though.... well that made her stomach churn.

\----

Eventually the two made it back to the House of Lamentation, the walk there a silent and awkward march as Grimm clutched onto Levi like a lifeline. He tried to pretend she wasn't there the whole time, up until they got to the front door. He held her back with an arm as he nervously peeked inside, making sure Lucifer and the others were no where to be seen. After finding it would be safe to go, he quickly ushered her inside and to the staircase, remaining by her side much to her surprise. They were in a safe place now, so Grimm didn't understand why he felt the need to escort her to her room, until they reached the door and walked past it.

"Where-" Grimm was about to ask, now that her nerves had settled down considerably, only to be shushed by Levi before she could get the words out. She sent him a glare, not appreciating that in the slightest, he flushed and looked away from her, his own form of apology.

The two passed an opened door and Grimm, in a sort of numb curiosity, happened to glance in as they went by. She immediately regretted it as she caught sight of Riley lounging on a couch with Mammon, the former with a furrowed brow as he glared out into the space of the demon's room. He impatiently tapped his foot as he scrolled on his DDD, looking as though he were up to no good. Grimm's heart lurched as Riley happened to look her way, his pink eyes going wide.

"Wait, Grimm, what happened?!" Riley called out as he leaped from the couch, something about Grimm's distraught appearance sending off alarm bells in his head. She tried to hesitate, assure her brother she was okay, but Levi kept going and Grimm was forced to follow as she still held onto his uniform jacket. She still heard Riley's footfalls before a sudden crash sounded out from the room.

"Noooo, you're gonna get in trouble!" Came Mammon's voice, the sound of struggling following soon after.

"Hey, lemme goooooo!"

A sad smile shown on Grimm's face as she turned back towards Levi, at least Riley was being well taken care of, she liked to think. She glanced up at the demon escorting her and caught him rolling his eyes at his older brother's antics. He likely wasn't a fan of Riley either, and Grimm had to wonder if she was just being a bother to him. Her smile vanished as she thought of their interactions thus far. Was she being too pushy with him? Sending requests on their app games was fun, but perhaps Levi just wanted to be left alone. After all, he didn't necessarily chose the duty Lucifer had given to him.

Maybe she should stop bothering him and return to her room. She had already caused too much trouble that day. Grimm was about to thank him for the assistance earlier and take her leave when finally Levi came to a stop. Grimm nearly walked into him before skidding to a stop, her words dying away in her throat as she looked upon the door that stood in front of them in the most shadowy part of the hallway. Grimm opened her mouth as if to question where they were, but didn't get the chance as Levi began fishing around in his pockets, soon brandishing a room key.

"I keep it locked because Mammon likes to sneak in all the time," Levi sighed as he worked to unlock the door, "but he still always manages to get in. Pretty sure every time something is missing, he's the reason."

"This is your room?" Grimm asked surprised, her heart skipping a beat as Levi gently pushed the door open, a faint blue light shining out onto the two. "Ah, is it okay for me to be in here, I don't want to intrude...."

"Y-Yea, just don't touch anything," Levi huffed as he turned away from her, cheeks flushed before shuffling away further into the room. Grimm followed, her eyes going round at the sight of all the shelves filled to the brim with merch and anime, though that was hardly what she was the most impressed with. Levi's room had a certain aquatic theme going on, what with the jellyfish lanterns that hung above his.... bathtub? Grimm trotted further into the room, her eyes glued onto the wall-sized aquarium in which most of the blue light was coming from.

"Woah...." Grimm muttered under her breath as Levi carefully watched her every movement, his body still and eyes giving off a faint glow in the dim light. By now Grimm felt used to the demons' odd behaviors and so didn't pay it much mind as Levi finally broke his stare to walk over to his desk on the other side of the room. Rustling through a drawer he soon turned back around with something clutched in his hand, and looking unsure, he shuffled over and handed it to her. Oh. A portable D.D.D. charger, Grimm nodded her thanks and immediately plugged it up. The resulting silence that rose up between them after that was almost too much to bare and so Grimm glanced towards Leviathan's computer screen in the hopes of finding a topic of conversation. There, he had apparently been watching something, the show having been paused for who knows how long.

"So what were you watching?" Grimm asked curiously, not missing the way Levi instantly perked up.

"My favorite adaptation of the Tale of the Seven Lords," Levi nodded towards the computer screen, "are you a fan?"

"Oh," Grimm hesitated, she wasn't sure what he was talking about and decided to be honest with him. "I've never heard of that, sorry, we probably don't have it in the human world."

Clearly that wasn't a suitable answer for Leviathan as he huffed out, looking appalled by Grimm's answer. He was probably glad to have been living in the Devildom instead if that were the case. Grimm let out a sigh as she turned from him and stepped up to the fish tank to peer inside, it was completely decked out in décor. She watched the plant life lightly sway in the water and found it absolutely beautiful. Not much later a tiny goldfish popped into her view and swam towards her, stopping just short of the glass. The sight of it was such a surprise to Grimm that she let out a happy little squeak, "oh! He's so cute, hello there!"

The tiny goldfish flicked his tail at her, as if perhaps, he could somewhat understand what she had said. Grimm, without realizing it, gently sat her hand on the glass. Which may have not been the best idea.

"Henry don't fraternize with the human!" Levi said as he tensed, back going ridged, "and I said to not touch anything!"

Grimm let out a sigh, noticing how obviously Levi was uncomfortable with her presence. She didn't understand why she was even there.

"Then why-" she began, but was immediately cut off.

"Because I don't like other people touching my things!"

"No, I mean why invite me to your room?" Grimm frowned, wondering if it would be better for her to go back to her own room now. It was clear whatever friendship she hoped to form was a lost cause, and with a sigh she turned to go.

"Wait!" Levi called after her, getting Grimm to stop in her tracks and turn back towards him, his shoulders hunched almost as though ashamed. "Hmm, when you yelled at me for calling you a normie, I remembered how fast you're leveling up in Mononokeland. So I figured you're not a TOTAL normie, I guess. Even though you're pushing it by not knowing what TSL is."

"Um, thanks?" Grimm stammered, unsure if she should accept that as a compliment or not. Levi went to roll his eyes again, but realized how rude that would have been and so turned away instead. It may have been a trick of the light, but Grimm could have swore the tips of his ears turned the lightest tint of pink.

"What I'm saying is we could play video games together or something?" He muttered under his breath, arms crossed as he stared at his fish tank as if it were the most interesting thing in the Devildom. Grimm had to do a double take, did she hear that correctly? Levi managed to spare her a glance again, but upon seeing her large puppy-dog eyes staring him down, lost his nerve and looked back towards Henry. "That always calms me down when I'm upset and I.... it's my fault you were there. Ugh, Lucifer and Beel are going to be so angry."

"I...." Grimm ushered under her breath as she continued to stare at Levi. He was slouching his shoulders and Grimm had no doubt he was much taller than he appeared, his lilac bangs falling in front of his eyes as he stared into his tank in solemn silence. The water from within reflecting off of his skin and turning the world around them blue, Grimm felt her stomach turn into knots. "I'd love to play video games with you."

Levi looked at her in surprise as if he hadn't thought she would actually agree to it and so the two ended up just staring each other down in an awkward silence. Nothing but the sounds of bubbling water and a distant stomping could be heard as Grimm contemplated perhaps breaking the silence, but that wouldn't be needed. Just as she opened her mouth to speak, the door was roughly thrown open, making the two practically leap out of their skin with matching yelps. Grimm jumped behind Levi on instinct, the back part of her brain thinking perhaps that demon had followed them all the way back to the house. As unlikely as that would be. However, as she saw the demon that stood in the doorway, her fears were chased away.

"Levi...." Beelzebub said as he looked over at his older brother, expression the most serious Grimm had seen thus far. His brows furrowed and he wore a grimace, and while he didn't look angered exactly, he certainly wasn't happy. It was a look Grimm hadn't seen on him yet.

"Um.... yes?" Levi answered with a gulp, attempting to avert his eyes, but unable to as instinct told him to focus on the possible threat. Beel's eyes narrowed.

"Why did I smell Grimm's fear scent near my locker?" The larger demon asked, looking none to amused as Levi glanced back at Grimm still hiding behind him before turning back around.

"Funny thing about that, uh-" Levi began, but was soon cut off.

"You forgot to go get her on time," Beel stated and it was certainly more of a statement than a question. Leviathan took a deep breath as he tried to gather his thoughts, think of some kind of excuse, but could only come up short. Beel had him completely read and there was no way for him to get out of the mess he made. Beel approached him, practically hulking over his shorter older brother, and Levi couldn't do much else besides stand there and hope he didn't lose any fingers like Mammon that one time.

"Don't hurt him," Grimm called out as she jumped out from behind Levi, waving her arms in the air to get the large demon's attention. "I'm okay!"

Beel turned to her with wide eyes almost as if he hadn't seen her there, had he thought she'd gotten eaten? Almost immediately Beelzebub's demeanor changed as he smiled and nodded at her, approaching her in a much more gentle manor than he did for Levi.

"Grimm," he acknowledged, leaning down to be more at her level as he tentatively sniffed at her, making sure she was truly okay. Grimm eased up as well, now realizing her shoulders had gone tense, as the heavy air around the room evaporated. Leviathan still stared at the two as if they were foxes in his hen house. But that was to be expected, Grimm supposed as Beel HAD simply made his way into the room unannounced. What was not expected, however, was how Beel sat his large hands on Grimm's delicate shoulders to pull her forward, nuzzling into the side of her neck to scent her.

"O-Oh," Grimm managed to get out as her face flushed and her back went ridged. She could hear Levi sputter and turned to see him trying to advert his gaze, but unable to look away. She felt bad for him, it must have been an awkward sight for such a thing to go on in his own room.

Little did Grimm know, however, that Leviathan's sin of envy was beginning to boil. Did Beel really just storm into HIS room to scent the human HE was supposed to be looking after? Levi glared at the two of them, but Beel was none-the-wiser.

Beelzebub was just happy enough to scent Grimm, to make sure no other lesser demons would dare make her smell like such fear again. It wasn't as nice as her usual scent and rubbed Beel the wrong way, for she shouldn't smell like that. Grimm's usual scent was so much nicer, Beel thought, especially as he buried his nose further into the side of her neck. She smelled like honey and berries and Beel could feel his mouth watering before his stomach rumbled. Perhaps just a small taste wouldn't hurt.... No.

Beelzebub pulled away from Grimm with what little will power he had and motioned towards the door, "let's go get something to eat."

"I'm fine, Levi and I were just- EEEEP!" Grimm was almost immediately plucked up and hoisted over Beel's shoulder as though she weighed nothing. Whelp, looks like this was her life now. Beel made his way to the door, but stopped just shy of it to shoot Leviathan another serious glare, making his brother shiver.

"Don't do it again," he warned before motioning vaguely to the room around them, "or I'll eat it all."

Grimm resigned to her current fate, and yet she still couldn't help but look back at Leviathan to see him deflate with a sigh, watching them go with an air of caution remaining. She couldn't deny perhaps he looked a tad bit disappointed and hoped it wasn't just her own wishful thinking. Grimm truly hoped this wouldn't deter Levi from interacting with her, and perhaps it finally meant things between them would be different now. Unable to stop herself, Grimm pulled out her D.D.D., now only with a bit of charge, but it was enough.

**Chat with: Leviathan**

**Grimm:** Sorry about that!

**Grimm:** Um, we could probably take a rain check on that. ^u^

**Grimm:** Playing video games, that is.... or maybe even watching anime!

_'Leviathan is typing....'_ Flashed multiple times on the screen, each time making Grimm's heart pound even harder as the demon on the other end tried to think of a response. Maybe he truly was just trying to be nice and didn't actually want to hang out with her. Grimm frowned, until finally Levi responded to her messages and she could have swore her heart skipped the smallest of beats.

**Leviathan:** Sure, I'd like that.


End file.
